Hot days ahead: Save water and stay cool, urges NI Water
- Love Ballymena
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
As Northern Ireland braces for a warm and sunny bank holiday weekend, NI Water is appealing to the public to help protect water supplies by using water wisely.
While reservoir levels remain healthy for this time of year, the public water utility warns that a surge in demand—caused by high temperatures and increased use of pools, hoses, and sprinklers—could strain water treatment and supply systems.
Paul Bryce, Head of Water at NI Water, explained:
“Our reservoir levels are in a healthy position for this time of year. However, NI Water is concerned that high temperatures can create a huge demand surge from multiple properties using vast quantities of water at the same time.
“Our Water Treatment Works are designed to treat a finite volume of water and if thousands of households are all trying to use large quantities at the same time, the treatment works, and distribution system can begin to struggle to keep up with demand.
“Our teams work around the clock to cope with this additional demand, in an effort to keep customers in supply.”
Bryce urged people to reconsider outdoor water use, especially for non-essential activities like washing cars or using sprinklers:
“Could you put off washing your car over the weekend? If you fill a paddling pool, could you cover it, so you can reuse it the next day? Lawns are great survivors… once rain comes, they can quickly spring back to their usual green selves!”
He added, “An easy one we can all do is simply turn off the tap when we brush our teeth. A running tap uses 6 litres of water a minute. If we all took one or two small steps to reduce water usage, there would be plenty to go round for everyone to enjoy the sunny days!”
Top water-saving tips this week:
Postpone DIY jobs like power hosing (uses 1.5–2.5 gallons per minute).
Avoid using sprinklers – they can use 2–5 gallons per minute.
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth – saves up to 6 litres per minute.
Keep a jug of water in the fridge rather than running the tap for cold water.
Wash vegetables in a bowl – reuse the water on plants.
Only run washing machines when full – saves water and energy.
Fix leaking taps – one drip wastes over 60 litres per week.
Use watering cans instead of hoses – hoses use 500+ litres per hour.
For more tips and information on water conservation, visit:
To stay safe in the sun, advice is available from NI Direct:
NI Water also encourages customers to sign up to its free text alert service, which keeps residents informed of any changes or issues affecting their water supply or other services.
