Athlone faces series of overnight water restrictions

Irish Water and Westmeath County Council wish to advise customers in Athlone and surrounding areas that a series of overnight water restrictions for parts of the town are necessary to facilitate essential maintenance in the Athlone Water Treatment Plant which will disrupt water production.

The overnight restrictions are required to enable the recovery of levels in the reservoir and to safeguard the water supply available to supply industries, schools, residences and commercial activities during business hours.

The restrictions will be in place each night from 10pm to 6am commencing on Sunday September 8 until Thursday  September 12. 

These restrictions may impact customers on the east side of Athlone town. The areas impacted include Bonnavalley, Creggan, Garrycastle, Blyry, Fardrum, Baylis, Annagh, Mount Temple and Ories. The water supply will be restored to customers as the network refills. It can take a number of hours for water to restore to customers on higher ground or at the end of the network once the water supply is turned back on.

Irish Water will make contact with customers registered on their vulnerable customer register in advance of these restrictions.

John Gavin, Irish Water engineer, speaking about the restrictions said, “These restrictions are being imposed in order to allow the water levels in Annagh Reservoir to recover prior to essential maintenance in the Athlone Water Treatment. Simple water conservation efforts can have a significant impact on driving down demand on the supply.  We are asking customers to conserve water through actions such as turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and shaving which can save up to 6 litres of water per minute. Keeping a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the cold tap can save 10 litres of water per day. In the garden, we’re asking people to recycle water, such as water used in food preparation or washing up, for watering flowers and lawns. For more tips on how to reduce your water usage log onto https://www.water.ie/conservation/”. 

Irish Water's customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1850 278 278 and customers can also contact them on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please see the water supply and services section of their website.