23/06/2010 -

Public Urged To Conserve Water

Due to the ongoing period of dry weather and the consequential impact on our water sources, Sligo County Council is appealing to the public to conserve water usage to essential needs only in order to maintain water supplies to all consumers over the summer months. 

Kilsellagh Water Treatment Works, which caters for Sligo City North and Environs showing low water levels

The Council would also like to thank the public for their continued co-operation in reporting any known leaks and in carrying out repairs to leaks on private property in order to eliminate leakage and wastage where possible and preserve supplies for all members of the community.

The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor Gerry Murray feels that the issue of water conservation should not be seen solely as the responsibility of the local authority. ‘This is an area where we can all play a part. I think in this day an age people are more aware of the value of water, and they are prepared to work with us to preserve what is a scarce resource.’

Sligo County Council’s Director of Infrastructural Services Tom Kilfeather complimented the staff of Water Services Section on ‘the excellent work being delivered in the areas of water conservation and network management, but the amount of water being consumed gives an indication of the scale of the problem -We each use on average 33 gallons of clean, treated water every day, and a leaking ball valve in a water trough can waste up to 33,000 gallons of water a year.’

Senior Engineer Donal Harrison says consumers are increasingly more responsible and are willing to look at the amount of water they use from the treated public water supply and see if they can reduce usage to cater for essential needs only. ‘We will continue to promote this very important message over the summer months, and we are asking for the public’s ongoing cooperation, particularly when there is pressure on available supplies.’