Environment: water supply issues

With the drought set to continue into at least next week and water supply on farms becoming extremely tight, alternatives are being considered.

Water will be coming under pressure in both private wells and water supply schemes. Irish Water has told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that it is likely water pressures will be reduced over the next few days and weeks.

It is asking farmers to inspect field troughs and repair any leaks. It also advises to use alternative water sources where possible.

Other advice includes: deferring power-hosing and shed cleaning until after drought; water crops at night to reduce the amount of evaporation; make arrangements to collect roof-water once rain returns for non-potable uses.

Any issues should be reported to the Irish Water call centre on 1850 278 278.

In our Focus on water this week, we have outlined more tips on how to keep current sources running.

Water storage should be considered on farms so that when demand is at peak there will be a reservoir of water available to meet the demand.

Water from rivers

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) said the current heatwave means that fish are more vulnerable due to increased water temperature and low water levels.

In hot temperatures, algae growth increases significantly, which can lead to low oxygen levels at night when the plant undergoes transpiration. The reduced oxygen levels can starve the fish of oxygen.

As a result, IFI is appealing to landowners to abstract water in a sustainable manner to ensure sufficient levels are available to protect the aquatic habitat.

If abstracting water for sprayers, farmers are asked to ensure they do not add chemicals beside a water body and to dispose of containers appropriately.

If they must abstract, the preference is to abstract from a lake as opposed to a river that may be critically low in water.

IFI’s confidential hotline number 1890 34 74 24 is available to the public to report fish kills, illegal fishing, water pollution and invasive species.