WATER RESTRICTIONS remain in place in Dublin but have eased considerably elsewhere with only a few other counties reporting significant ongoing problems.
Dublin City Council will continue to impose restrictions on customers for another 12 days at least.
The situation outside the capital would appear to be worst in Galway city and county.
Galway County Council warned that its reservoirs are still “critically low” and there will be night-time restrictions in all areas. About 100 houses in Galway city have no supply. Shantalla, Ballybane and Knocknacarra residents have been without water for up to nine days in some areas, while several thousand homes in the county are still affected.
Tankers are still dispensing water. But two city councillors have criticised the fact that car washing facilities are still open while business and residents are suffering cuts in supply.
Cork County Council plumbing crews worked through the weekend to identify and repair leaks as the council reiterated its appeal to the public to conserve water.
Among the most badly affected areas of Cork were parts of Mallow such as the Spa Glen and Ironmines as well as Goold’s Hill where council staff were still trying to locate a major break in the supply system.
Elsewhere in north Cork, higher areas of Newmarket were still experiencing some interruption to supply but there were no significant problems in Mitchelstown and Millstreet.
Water demand remained high in south Cork but most areas had supplies, although there was some possibility of some restrictions in supply in Donoughmore and Grenagh
Westmeath County Council has warned that nightly water supply shut-offs will continue in order to replenish levels in council reservoirs for the next five to seven nights.
The situation has been hampered by four different leaks in Athlone.
Offaly County Council says the overall situation has improved significantly following a large number of repairs, but supply may be shut off at any time during the day due to bursts and to facilitate repairs.
Kildare County Council operated restrictions until 10am this morning and has repeated its call to householders and businesses to conserve water at all times.
Clare County Council says it expects supplies to return to normal within three days. However, the council warned that there will be restrictions in the meantime.
The council telephone lines operated over the weekend
In order to conserve the supply the council will cut off water in parts of Ennis from 8pm to 8am and also in Shannon, Newmarket on Fergus, Sixmilebridge, Kilmurray, Kilkishen, Bunratty, Cratloe, Quin and Tulla from 10pm to 10am.
Other places affected are O’Briensbridge, Clonlara, Broadford, Shannon Banks, Westbury, Parteen, Ardnacrusha, Coolisteigue, Corofin, Ruan, Ennistymon, Lahinch and Liscannor which will have water restrictions from 8pm to 8am.
In Dublin the restrictions will remain in place across 19 different water schemes in the city.
They will begin in the capital at 6pm this evening and will continue until 7am tomorrow.
The city council has already said that the return to work tomorrow will test the capacity of the system with the expected increase in demand.
They hope to get a more complete picture of the extent of leaks in private premises by then.
The council has also appealed to car wash providers who use mains water to stop doing so while the restrictions remain in place.