Water shortage fears as levels drop

There are fears that Galway City could be facing into a shortage of drinking water, despite spells of heavy rain in recent days, the Galway City Tribune has learned.
Already, Irish Water is in the process of arranging an emergency supply from the county in an effort to avoid yet another water crisis. And the Office of Public Works has been contacted to open sluice gates on the River Corrib to maximise levels.
The water level in Lough Corrib is extremely low at the moment, and this is having a knock-on effect on the supply into Terryland Waterworks.
Following queries from this newspaper, Irish Water confirmed that there is a deficit in supply to the waterworks at the moment, but there is “currently no impact” for customers.
A statement from the company – which took control of the city’s water supply from the City Council earlier this year – confirmed the problem. “The water level in the Corrib is very low at present.
“On behalf of Irish Water, Galway County Council is currently putting in place a supplementary supply from the Luimnagh treatment plant in order to meet the deficit.
“Galway City Council has also been in contact with the OPW regarding the operation of the sluice gates on the river to maximise the water levels in the river.
“Irish Water will continue to monitor the situation closely,” the statement reads. It’s understood that the problem with low water levels in the Corrib is compounded by a build-up of ‘sludge’ entering Terryland, which results in the water taking longer to process.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.