NI Water has lifted the Northern Ireland wide hosepipe ban which has been in force since 29 June 2018.

Sara Venning, CEO of NI Water, said,

“Thanks to the fantastic response from the public to our appeals to conserve water we have seen demand for water decrease from three quarters of a billion litres per day, (some 30% above average) to near normal levels.

“This means our water treatment works, which were struggling to meet this exceptional demand, with large scale water supply interruptions imminent, are now coping comfortably with demand. This allows us to lift the hosepipe ban from noon tomorrow.

“We would stress, however, that a continued focus on water conservation is essential. Ideally, we would like to see demand reduced still further or at least maintained at its present level to avoid the prospect of the ban having to be reintroduced. This is achievable if we continue to use water wisely.”

Raw water storage levels

NI Water is closely monitoring the levels of raw water storage in its impounding reservoirs. Despite recent rainfall, the amount of rain has not been sufficient to have a positive impact on levels in many of the reservoirs. The levels have not yet reached the point which would trigger the need for the imposition of restrictions, including a hosepipe ban and do not represent a threat to water supplies in the short term.

NI Water has warned that a continued period without rain will see reservoir levels fall further and may result in the need for additional restrictions.