UPDATE | Power restored to Longford town, Ballymahon, Abbeyshrule and Newtowncashel water treatment plants but reservoirs depleted

Uisce Éireann crews are actively working throughout Longford to restore water supplies. While the majority of supplies have been restored, some customers still remain without water or are experiencing low pressure.

An Uisce Éireann spokesperson said, "We continue to actively source and transfer generators to sites where power has not been restored. We are co-ordinating closely with the ESB to prioritise power restoration and we are also liaising with other agencies including the National Emergency Co-ordination Group and local authorities."

Power has been restored to water treatment plants for Longford Town, Ballymahon and surrounding areas, Abbeyshrule and Newtowncashel.

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Production at these locations has resumed. However, with reservoirs depleted it will be tomorrow (Tuesday, January 28) before customers see a return of supply. 

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Where power has not been restored generators have been deployed to other water treatment plants including Lough Forbes, Smear, Granard, and Lanesboro.

As production resumes reservoirs will begin to refill. Customers will begin to see a return to normal supply over the coming days.

Uisce Éireann is urging customers to conserve water where possible as it returns in order to allow reservoir levels to build and protect supply.

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Alternative water supplies remain in place with additional locations added at the following locations: 

• Cathedral carpark, Longford Town
• Tesco carpark, Longford Town
• Library carpark, Edgeworthstown
• The Mart, Ballymahon, 
• The village carpark, Aughnacliffe, 
• Carpark behind Garda Station, Granard
• Carpark beside the Bridge, Lanesboro (from 12pm today)

Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann, Margaret Attridge said that the focus is on restoring power to treatment plants and pumping stations in impacted areas, and providing alternative water supplies to customers where supplies have been disrupted for longer periods.

“We are working in co-ordination with the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, the ESB and other agencies to ensure all available resources are being deployed to support the return of water supplies. Our crews are on the ground in all impacted areas working to restore water services as quickly as possible by sourcing and installing generators at plants where power has not yet been restored. In some areas the electricity supply remains intermittent which can prolong the time it takes to restore water supply.

Also read: UPDATE: Location of alternative water supplies for Longford customers hit by outages and disruption

“We apologise to customers who have been without water for a few days and ask for the public’s continued patience during this challenging time. In areas where water supply has been out for longer periods, our teams are working to provide alternative water supplies and we currently have 50 locations around the country where alternative supplies are in place. More will be deployed today, and we will be updating our website and providing information to local stakeholders about their locations. We are also providing additional supports for elderly and vulnerable customers and we could encourage people to contact our customer care team at 1800 278 278 if additional support is needed.

Margaret is also urging customers to conserve water where possible in order to protect supply while the outages are resolved. There are some simple steps people can take to conserve their water, such as avoiding the use of water-intensive appliances during this time. To learn more about conserving water, visit www.water.ie/conserve.

Customers can stay informed about their local water supply by visiting www.water.ie, via Uisce Éireann’s X feed, @IWCare, or by signing up for our free text alert service via the website. Alternatively get in touch via our 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278.