23/03/2010

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Mayor of South Dublin County Mick Duff launched South Dublin County Council’s Water Conservation Roadshow on World Water Day 22^nd March 2010.

The Water Conservation Roadshow will be on display at County Hall Tallaght until Friday 26^th March after which it will visit shopping centres around the County during Eco Week from 19^th to 24^th April. The roadshow is aimed at the general public and will raise awareness about South Dublin County’s water supply and the importance of conserving it. The roadshow informs people about where their water comes from, how much water every person uses each day (148 Litres on average) and simple ways they can conserve our precious water resources.

We all know that water is a basic requirement for all life, yet water resources are facing increasing demands from, and competition among users. These stark facts became a reality in early January as the people of South Dublin County were affected by water shortages when bad weather resulted in the demand for water in the County rising significantly, for example in one day the water usage rose by 10 million litres of water!

While we do get a lot of rain in Ireland this does not mean there is lots of clean useable water. Clean useable water is not limitless. In fact 1% of the all the water in the world provides all our usable water, which includes drinking water, household water, all the water in the atmosphere and all the ground water, lakes and rivers! Of the remaining 99% of the water on earth, 97% is salty water in the oceans, 2% is locked in the polar ice caps.

At the launch Mayor Mick Duff urged the people of South Dublin County to remain vigilant and conserve water– “I urge everyone to play a part in conserving water in our homes, places of work and in schools by following simple water conservation practices shown here today, every drop counts”. For a list of simple water conservation actions go to www.taptips.ie.

As a County South Dublin uses 42,239,000 litres of water a day. This translated into 148 litres per person per day or 407 litres per household per day. This 148 litres can be broken down as follows:

v      Drinking per person will only account for an average of 2 Litres

v      Washing Machine - 40 Litres

v      Cooking – 10 Litres

v      Power Shower – 125 Litres

v      Standard tap shower – 35 Litres

v      Dishwasher – 10 Litres

v      Brushing your Teeth Morning & Night with the tap running  - 12 Litres

v       Drinking – 2 Litres

v      Hand washing – 12 Litres

v      Toilet Flushing – 27 Litres

Therefore bearing in mind all the above water conservation is essential to maintaining water supply. So in preparation for any future cold snaps to try and avoid water shortages people must conserve water by:

v      Not leaving taps running in your house while carrying out normal tasks

v      Checking for leaks and repair dripping taps, cistern or pipes

v      If a leak is seen in a public place, report it to the Council

v      Only running dishwashers and washing machines when full

v      Using a basin when washing fruit and vegetables

v      Reducing time in the shower and trying to avoid having a bath

v      Only filling the kettle with enough water for your needs

v      Collect rain water to water plants, wash cars etc

Water is precious - Don’t waste it! Don’t take it for granted! Conserve it! Visit www.taptips.ie.

Images

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  Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Mick Duff and Member of the Environment SPC launching South Dublin County Councils Water conservation road
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  Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Mick Duff launching South Dublin County Councils Water conservation road show
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  South Dublin County Councils Water conservation road show