Uisce Éireann extends hosepipe ban for Westmeath water supply

Uisce Éireann has announced a further extension of the Water Conservation Order for the Mullingar Regional Public Water Supply, which also supplies parts of South Westmeath, including Moate, Ballymore and Horseleap.

The conservation order, commonly termed a hosepipe ban, will now remain in effect for an additional six weeks, until Monday, September 16.

The order was initially issued in early May, in a bid to safeguard the water supply for essential purposes. The supply is sourced from Lough Owel and serves over 50,000 customers across a large area of Westmeath.

The implementation of the order followed a long period of unseasonably dry weather over the autumn, winter and spring, as well as steady demand.

Since May 2024, rainfall in Mullingar has been below average when compared to historical rainfall records. There was 974mm of rainfall measured in the Mullingar weather station between May 2024 and July 2025 compared to historical records of 1,207mm for the same period.

That is 19% less rainfall when compared to the long-term average. This lack of recharge over the wetter seasons has led to low water levels for the time of year heading into what are traditionally the warmest months of the year.

While recent weeks have brought some cooler and wetter weather, the water level at Lough Owel remains very low for the time of year and under severe pressure.

It is expected, based on the typical trend for this time of year, that water levels will continue to decrease over the summer period. It is considered that significant levels of rainfall over a prolonged period of time are required for the lake to recover.

Uisce Éireann said it wished to thank the people of Mullingar and the surrounding areas for the role they are playing to conserve water and reduce demand on the water supply to date. Local conservation efforts by the public, combined with intensive network management have seen "a marginal reduction in daily demand" across the Mullingar Regional Water Supply.

Fionnuala Callery, regional technical operations manager for Uisce Éireann, said: “Uisce Éireann’s top priority remains protection of the water supply for essential use in homes and businesses. We would like to acknowledge the sustained effort by the people of Mullingar and the surrounding areas in conserving water to ensure supply is maintained over the summer.

“We have seen a reduction in the demand for water since the Water Conservation Order was first introduced.

“These efforts are greatly appreciated and alongside our work to reduce leakage and manage the network, have played a vital role in protecting Lough Owel. If the people of Mullingar continue to play their part by conserving water, we can reduce the potential of restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.”

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.

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.