Hosepipe ban for much of South Westmeath to be lifted after several months

A water conservation order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, which has been in place for Moate and other parts of South Westmeath since May will be lifted from Monday (October 13), Uisce Éireann has said.

The ban has been in place for the Mullingar Regional Supply, sourced from Lough Owel, which serves 50,000 customers in Mullingar and surrounding areas including Ballymore, Moate, Tyrrellspass, Kilbeggan and Horseleap.

In a statement, Uisce Éireann said it wished to thank the people of Westmeath for their support and cooperation throughout the spring and summer.

"We're extremely grateful to the people of Westmeath for their efforts to conserve water since the Order was introduced in early May," said Fionnuala Callery, Regional Technical Operations Manager at Uisce Éireann.

"Now that the hosepipe ban is lifted, it’s still important that we don’t lose momentum. While Lough Owel has seen some mild recharge with the heavy rainfall since autumn arrived, it will take time for the lake to fully recover.

"The recharge of this spring fed lake will be dependent on consistent rainfall over autumn and winter," said Ms Callery.

"We’re doing everything we can via network initiatives to protect and maintain the water supply, but we also need the public’s continued support to protect the supply and the lake. Even small changes in how we use water can make a big difference.

"We are also appealing to customers across Co Westmeath to continue to report leaks to us at 1800 278 278 or through 'Report a Leak' on water.ie"