Six-week hosepipe ban for much of South Westmeath

Uisce Éireann has confirmed that a Water Conservation Order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, will be in place for the Mullingar Regional Public Water Supply, from midnight on Tuesday May 6 for a period of six weeks.

The Mullingar Regional Supply, sourced from Lough Owel serves 50,000 customers in areas including Mullingar and its surrounding areas, as well Ballynacargy, Moyvore, Ballymore, Moate, Rathowen, Streete, Rathconrath, Killucan, Coralstown, Kinnegad, Milltownpass, Tyrrellspass, Kilbeggan, Ballinagore, Castletown Geoghegan, Gaybrook, and Horseleap.

The order applies only to areas supplied by Lough Owel and does not currently include customers in Athlone or in the north of the county served by the Ballany Water Treatment Plant.

The Water Conservation Order has been issued in a bid to safeguard the water supply for essential purposes.

Advertisements will appear in national papers today, May 2, in line with statutory requirements outlining the prohibition of the use of garden hoses and other non-essential uses of water.

The implementation of the order follows a long period of dry weather combined with steady demand, as a result of which the water supply at Lough Owel has come under severe stress.

The water levels at Lough Owel are critically lower than previously recorded at this time of year. It is expected, based on the typical trend, that water levels will now start to decrease for the summer period.

It is considered that significant levels of rainfall over a prolonged period are required for the source to recover.

Lough Owel is a spring-fed lake and any rain that falls today will take a number of months to filter through soils and bedrock before it gets to the lake.

Since May 2024, rainfall in Mullingar has been below average compared to historical rainfall records.

There was 656mm of rainfall measured in the nearby Mullingar weather station between May 2024 and March 2025 compared to historical records of 897mm for the same period.

A further spell of dry, warm weather is forecast in early May.

It is not likely that predicted rainfall for this time of year would be sufficient to put Lough Owel in a notably better position as we move into early summer.

It is essential that a Water Conservation Order is introduced now on the Mullingar Regional Public Water Supply to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.

Jim Fitzgerald, regional operations senior manager for water at Uisce Éireann, said: “Uisce Éireann’s top priority is to protect the water supply for use in homes, businesses and essential services. The community will have noticed that water levels in Lough Owel remain lower than usual for this time of year, due to significantly reduced rainfall over the last 12 months.

“While it may often feel like Ireland gets plenty of rain, the data shows we’ve experienced an unseasonably warm and dry autumn and winter. As a result, Lough Owel has not had its usual seasonal recharge, and we are heading into the summer months with lower-than-average water levels.

“In response, we have increased our efforts in leakage detection, pipe repair, and overall network management. As demand continues to outstrip supply and with further dry weather predicted, we have taken the extra step of implementing a Water Conservation Order to safeguard the local water supply.

“It is clear from Uisce Éireann’s data that warm weather creates a surge in demand for water. Such weather makes the use of hoses more likely for gardening, leisure and other purposes; however, using a hosepipe for one hour is the equivalent of the daily water usage of an average family and it is generally a non-essential use of water.

“The introduction of the order follows a series of measures that Uisce Éireann has put in place to safeguard supplies in recent months, including doubling down on our efforts to find and fix critical leaks in the water network and a public information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of water conservation year-round.

“We will continue to analyse water consumption levels while the Water Conservation Order is in place. It is essential that our water supply is protected if we are to reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.

“During this time, we are supporting and advising our commercial water users on water conservation and encouraging them to continue their efforts to avoid unnecessary use.

“There are lots of helpful tips for conserving water on our website but the key messages are to leave the hose and the pressure washer in the shed; reuse household water for the garden; and take shorter showers. We are calling on everyone to play their part so we can maintain supply over the summer months,” Jim added.

The Conservation Order prohibits the use of garden hosepipes and other non-essential uses of water by domestic users and commercial premises for non-commercial activities, for example watering gardens attached to a business premises.

To help people learn more about saving water Uisce Éireann has developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator so they can work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more. The calculator is available on our conservation section where you can also find lots of useful water saving tips.

Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at 1800 278 278 or on water.ie.

Areas supplied by the Mullingar Regional Water Supply (Lough Owel)

Mullingar Town and surrounding areas

Ballynacargy

Moyvore

Ballymore

Moate

Moyvoughly

Streete

Rathowen

Lismacaffrey

Crookedwood

Multyfarnham

Bunbrosna

Rathconrath

Killucan

Raharney

Coralstown

Kinnegad

Milltownpass

Tyrrellspass

Dalystown

Kilbeggan

Ballinagore

Gaybrook

Dysart

Horseleap

Castletown Geoghegan