Uisce Éireann is appealing to customers across Tipperary to be mindful of their use of water. Every drop counts, especially as we move into what is expected to be a warmer, drier period.
There has been a notable increase in demand for water across Tipperary since the summer arrived. With warmer, drier weather forecast, we are appealing to everyone to conserve water to safeguard the water supply.
While recent weeks have brought cooler and wetter weather, water supplies in Glenary, Poulavanogue, Ardfinnan, Galtee, Coalbrook, Commons, Dualla and Fethard remain under significant pressure. These Water Supply Schemes serve over 45,000 customers across a large area of South Tipperary including Clonmel, Ardfinnan, Goatenbridge, Caher, New Chapel, Grange, Rossaddrehid, Bansha, Aherlow, Lattin, Emly, Limerick Junction, Coalbrook, Commons, Dualla, Ballinard, Mullinahone, Drangan, Moyglass, Killenaule, Ballinure, Gortnahoe.
Mr Pierce Faherty, (Uisce Éireann Water Operations Manager in Tipperary), said, “We are appealing to the communities served by these supplies to make every effort to conserve water to maintain the supply. Although we have seen some welcome rainfall, the long-term effects of a dry autumn, winter, and spring are still being felt. This supply is under considerable pressure, with a notable increase in demand since the beginning of June.We’re doing everything we can to protect and maintain supplies throughout the summer, but we’re also asking the public for their help by doing what they can to reduce their use. If everyone takes a few simple steps to reduce the volume of water used around the home, in the garden, at work, or on the farm, we can make our water go further and help maintain normal supplies.In response to these water supplies coming under pressure, we have increased our efforts with a series of measures to safeguard supply, including doubling down on leakage detection, pipe repair, and overall network management.”
It would take several weeks of sustained rainfall to allow affected water sources to recover to normal levels. The latest forecast indicates a continuation of warmer, drier weather, which could further increase demand and place additional strain on already stressed supplies.
Everyone in Tipperary can play their part in protecting the water supplies for their community by taking simple steps to reduce their water use.
These include:
Leave the hose in the shed: Drop the hose during the summer months. Use a rose head watering can to water your plants instead of a hose or sprinkler. Running a hose for just one hour uses as much water as a family would typically need in an entire day.
Bucket and sponge for your car: Using a bucket and sponge to wash your car can save hundreds of litres of water compared to using a hose or power washer.
Turn off the tap: Brushing your teeth with the tap running wastes up to six litres of water per minute. Turning it off while brushing can reduce that to just one litre.
Switch to a shower: Showers use about half the amount of water as baths. Invest in water saving appliances such as water efficient taps and shower heads.
Shorter showers: With the average shower using seven litres of water per minute by turning your five-minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to seven litres of water per day!
Fully load your appliances: Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machine are fully loaded before use. A typical washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water, and a dishwasher uses around 20 litres per cycle. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water, but you will also reduce your energy bills.
For those looking to track their progress and learn more about water conservation, Uisce Éireann has developed an easy-to-use conservation calculator, which allows people to track their personal water usage. To access the water conservation calculator or find out more about water conservation tips, VISIT HERE.
Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at TEL: 1800 278 278 or via water.ie
Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 2 per cent (-1.1 Mt CO2eq) in 2024.
All sectors, except heating of homes and buildings, saw reductions in 2024:
Energy industries emissions decreased by 8.9 per cent (-0.7 Mt CO2eq).
Agriculture emissions decreased by 1.7 per cent (-0.4 Mt CO2eq).
Transport emissions decreased by 1.2 per cent (-0.1 Mt CO2eq).
Industry emissions decreased by 4.6 per cent (-0.3 Mt CO2eq).
Heating of homes and buildings increased by 5.6 per cent (+0.4 Mt CO2eq).
Despite the overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compliance with national commitments and EU targets will be extremely challenging:
Ireland’s national target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent in 2030 compared to 2018 levels. In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions were 12 per cent below 2018 levels.
Ireland’s EU target is a 42% reduction in emissions from key sectors including agriculture, transport, and buildings by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions were 11 per cent below 2005 levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its provisional greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland for 2024. The figures show a reduction of 2% or 1.1 Mt CO2eq compared to 2023, with emission reductions in almost all sectors – except for heating of homes and buildings. In total, 54 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2eq) were emitted, excluding emissions from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).
Commenting on the report Ms Laura Burke, Director General, EPA said: “Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions have declined for three years in a row. These important findings underscore the effectiveness of climate action and implementation of decarbonisation strategies across our economy and society. We’re seeing the tangible benefits from sectors like electricity, with more renewables and interconnection; and transport, with a notable increase in biofuel use in our vehicles.” She added, “While the 2024 data is moving in the right direction in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is not at the necessary scale and pace to achieve our EU targets or the National Climate commitments. For example, if Ireland is to meet our first carbon budget, a further 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is needed in 2025, which will be extremely challenging.”
In terms of EU targets, the assessment shows that Ireland exceeded its EU Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) commitments in 2024, even with the use of flexibilities. 2024 greenhouse gas emissions were 11% below 2005 levels, well short of Ireland’s EU Effort Sharing reduction commitment of 42% by 2030. Regarding compliance with national climate commitments, the assessment shows that greenhouse gas emissions (including LULUCF) are 12% lower than in 2018, far off the national climate ambition of a 51% reduction by 2030.
A summary of the trends from key sectors: Energy Industries: Emissions from energy industries decreased for the third consecutive year by 8.9% in 2024 to an all-time low of 7.2 Mt CO2eq. This was due to the large share of energy generation coming from renewables (39.6%) in combination with an increase in the share of imported electricity (14% of electricity supply in 2024 compared to 9.5% in 2023). 2024 was also the first year that peat was not used in electricity generation in Ireland since the first sod peat-fired power station in Portarlington began operations in 1950. Agriculture: Agriculture emissions decreased by 1.7% or 0.3 Mt CO2eq in 2024. This was primarily due to a 2.9% reduction in cattle numbers. In contrast there was a 10.6 % increase in nitrogen fertiliser use. Transport: This is first post-COVID decrease in transport emissions. There was a 1.2 % or 0.14 Mt CO2eq decrease in 2024, after having increased by approximately 6% in both 2021 and 2022, and by 0.3%in 2023. In particular, the increased use of biofuels slowed growth in emissions in this sector despite increases in the number of vehicles and a growing workforce. Industry: Manufacturing Combustion and Industrial Processes emissions decreased by 4.6% to 6.0 Mt CO2eq in 2024 due to declines in coal and oil usage. Total emissions from the cement sector decreased by 15.6% or 0.4 Mt CO2eq in line with a reduction in clinker production. Buildings (Residential, Commercial and Public): Emissions from buildings increased by 5.6% due to a colder winter and increased use of fossil fuels. In the Residential sector, this increase follows two consecutive years where emissions from homes have been at their lowest point since 1990.
Commenting, Dr Tomas Murray, Senior Manager, EPA said: “There are positives to be taken from this assessment given the declines in emissions observed across key sectors. However, some sectors face greater challenges to decarbonise than others. In particular, based on this assessment, both Agriculture and Transport each require significant reductions of 5.6 and 15.5%, respectively, in 2025 to meet their indicative percentage reduction targets. The national climate objective of a 51% reduction by 2030 will be unattainable unless every sector meets their reduction target and sectoral ceiling.”
The Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory 1990 to 2024 is available on the EPA website and the EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource is also available online.
The quality of drinking water remains high, but supplies must become more resilient, says EPA.
The quality of drinking water from public supplies remains very high, with over 99.8% of samples compliant with standards.
There are 45 supplies serving 497,000 people on the EPA’s list of ‘at-risk’ supplies (Remedial Action List) that need to be addressed by Uisce Eireann. This is down from 57 supplies (serving 561,000 people) in 2023.
The were 33 long-term boil water notices in 2024, down one-third from 2023.
Progress to protect public health by removing lead from our supply networks and houses is still far too slow.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies Report 2024, released today, shows that over 99.8% of samples from public water supplies comply with bacterial and chemical limits, which means our public water is safe to drink.
Launching the report, Dr Micheál Lehane, EPA Director said: “Our public water quality remains very high. This means that the public can remain confident that drinking water supplied to their homes is safe to drink. While I welcome the decrease in the number of people served by ‘at-risk’ supplies, the EPA – through our audit programme – continues to identify supplies that lack adequate resilience. Uisce Éireann needs to implement the findings of Risk Assessments to improve the resilience of supplies and maintain the quality of our drinking water. Long-term sustained investment in water services infrastructure is required to provide this resilience into the future.”
Good progress has been made in other areas such as disinfection, and completion of Risk Assessments (Drinking Water Safety Plans) but progress on removing lead from the supply network remains far too slow. Regarding lead in drinking water, Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said: “Lead in our drinking water is a cumulative risk to human health and must be removed from our supply network. The risk is greatest for young children, infants and babies in the womb. Despite Ireland having a National Lead Strategy in place since 2015, progress to date has been far too slow. The legal limit for lead in our drinking water will halve in 2036 (from 10ugl to 5ug/l) – so much greater focus is needed by Government Departments and Uisce Éireann to remove lead from the supply network and public buildings. The EPA welcomes the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage commitment to review progress in 2025.”
However, many supplies still lack robust treatment to guarantee their long-term resilience. The EPA’s Remedial Action List identifies ‘at-risk’ supplies that require improvements to safeguard public health. In 2024 there has been a reduction in the number of people served by supplies on the Remedial Action List – down to almost 497,000 (from 561,000 in 2023). At the end of 2024, there were seven supplies that remained on the RAL for over two years and, while an action programme is currently being defined by Uisce Éireann for these supplies, a completion date has yet to be provided. The EPA has taken enforcement action in 2024 against Uisce Éireann by issuing 20 legally binding directions for supplies on the Remedial Action List. This is to ensure long-term improvements are carried out in the timeframe proposed. Supplies on the RAL must be addressed as a priority for Uisce Éireann.
List of supplies currently on a Boil Water Notice (BWN) in Tipperary as of 1st July 2025.
Operators engaged in large-scale unauthorised peat harvesting activities are in flagrant violation of environmental law.
The large-scale, illegal commercial extraction of peat is widespread in Ireland. The sector does not operate within planning or environmental laws.
The EPA has investigated 38 large-scale operations over seven counties where illegal peat extraction is taking place.
Local authorities must take appropriate enforcement action against operators of illegal peat extraction within their jurisdiction.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its report on Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland. The EPA has investigated 38 sites across seven counties – Tipperary, Offaly, Kildare, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo – where large-scale commercial peat extraction is being carried on without any of the necessary authorisations from the local authorities. These illegal operations are contributing to an export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat annually, valued at almost €40 million.
The EPA has deployed significant resources to carry out 170 enforcement inspections between 2021 and 2024. It has also taken legal actions at District Court and High Court level against operations on areas greater than 50 hectares. These legal actions have resulted in the cessation of illegal peat extractions on several peatlands in recent years. A number of actions remain live before the courts.
Local authorities have the primary responsibility for regulating all commercial peat extraction, specifically regarding compliance with environmental legislation including the performance of Environmental Impact Assessments, Appropriate Assessments associated with protected habitats, and the granting or otherwise of the necessary planning permissions for those activities.
Local authority enforcement performance in this area is patently inadequate. The EPA is directing local authorities to take appropriate enforcement actions against such operations within their jurisdiction. The EPA will continue to use its powers to ensure that local authorities fully implement and enforce the environmental requirements pertaining to large-scale commercial peat extraction.
The report notes that appropriate regulation of peat harvesting can provide important protections for the environment. Bord Na Móna has lawfully operated nine different peatland complexes across 11 counties under licence from EPA, until 2020 when these operations ceased. Now, in accordance with their licence conditions and with the support of the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme, Bord na Móna is engaged in the rehabilitation of those peatlands with almost 19,000 hectares rehabilitated by the end of 2024, bringing them back to life, allowing nature to take its course and the peatlands to flourish again.
Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Operators engaged in unauthorised peat harvesting activities are in flagrant violation of environmental law. They are destroying our precious natural environments and this needs to stop. The environmental damage caused by large-scale peat extraction operating outside regulatory control is catastrophic for the environment. It results in the destruction of vital ecosystems for biodiversity, the loss of important carbon sinks for our efforts on climate change and the decimation of an irreplaceable cultural and scientific amenity and resource. Local authorities have been conspicuous in their lack of enforcement of environmental law. They need to step up to meet their legal obligations as regulatory authorities, prioritise their resources and use the ample enforcement powers at their disposal to bring these illegal activities to an end and to protect our environment.”
He added: “Bord na Móna is an excellent example of where appropriate engagement with the environmental regulations, including EPA licensing requirements, has worked to minimise the negative impacts of peat harvesting on the environment and to secure the longer-term rehabilitation of those harvested peatlands.”
The Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland report is available on the EPA website.
“Long time no see, Mikey”, said I, “Where have you been hiding yourself for the last three months?” I had just entered the Arch Bar in Liberty Square, Thurles, to find my friend, Mikey Ryan, sitting in his brown stained overcoat, with both elbows stretched along the counter top; his two hands cupping a pint glass of Guinness.
“Herself had me confined to barracks since I lost me job”, replied Mikey. “I wonder, do you think Tánaiste Simon Harris has ever tried to keep a fractiouswife and 5 kids on €244.00 a week?
“A very good question,” said I.
“Anyway, I suppose you are still continuing to verbally abuse the Thurles Municipal District (TMD) council officials”, said Mikey, “but now that I see you in person, let me correct you on some of your complaints. You do a lot of giving out about crooked traffic signs and posts; narrow streets; blaming HGV for breaking railings; excessive potholes on our streets and poor planning. Tell me now, are you aware of the complex concept of global warming?
Hoping to bring a smile to Mikey’s downcast face, I stated, “I’m not a great believer in global warming but I think I’m warming up to that theory; but then again, I myself don’t have a carbon footprint, since I drive everywhere”.
Mikey was having none of it. “Welldo you realise that everything you are foolishly and tediously prating about, are forcing TMD officials, to leave the sanctity of their normally irreproachable office desks, to follow up, in silence i might add, the queries raised by you? Mikey replied. “To my mind everything you prattle on about is caused simply by global warming. Irish temperatures have risen by 2° Celsius, causing metal posts, their attached warning signs; traffic indicatorsand Redipave traffic island bollards, to simply melt and vanish without trace. There is nothing our TMD administrators can do, so we better learn to live with it”, he further added.
A silent, but knowing sideways glance and a quick side to side head shake from the proprietor Pat Hayes, was enough for me to attempt to change the course of the present conversation.
“So, what has you in here so early this evening Mikey”, said I.
“Strictly between ourselves”, said Mikey, “I got this pressing call to attend at “The Brothers” this morning from the Principal’s clerk. After escorting the young lad to his class, I was to learn that one of the teachers, affectionally known as “Mr Killer“, (a known psychopath my son would later inform me), had posedwhat he called a ‘straightforward challenge’to my young lads english class. Said he, “Can anyone give me a rhyming sentence or two, containing the word ‘pistol’?”.
“That young lad of the Brown’s, Jimmy I think his name is,” continued Mikey, “He is supposedly a bright buck; sure you see him scurrying around most days with his index finger stuck up his nostrils, picking his nose. Well Jimmy quickly raised a hand and declared “My daddy is a soldier. He has a suit of blue. He has a sword and bayonet, and he has a pistol too.” “Having thanked the young lad for his quick reply; Mr Killer (or whatever his name is), was about to move on, when my second eldest intervened”. Mikey queried with a proud knowing nod of his head, “Sure you must remember our Cristiano, he takes after myself.Didn’t he quickly chime in “Sir, my father isn’t a soldier. He doesn’t have a suit of blue. He draws his dole at half-past nine, then he’s on the piss ’till two!”. “I tell you this my man”, said Mikey, “The disparaging remarks made by that School Principal, regarding my failures as a parent, fairly hit below the belt. Truth is, had I known I was going to be so verbally abused this morning; and had I been still in full employment, I’d have taken the day off.”
“Right so”, said I, anxious at this stage to make a hasty exit “I’m in a hurry this evening Mikey. Got a visitor calling to the house. Sure we will, no doubt, talk later.Give us a 6 pack of Guinness Pat and I’ll be off home.”
“Certainly”, said Pat, “And then I’m heading to lie down in a darkened room, as soon as my barman comes back.”
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