Irish Water will be at the National Ploughing Championships this year to reveal the impact of failing to ‘Think Before you Flush’ with a visual installation showing just what people flush down their toilets and the havoc that causes on the sewage system and where the waste ends up. Visitors will also be able to see how the pipes in the ground carrying water to and from your home could stretch around the globe; the expertise and work it takes to make clean, safe drinking water and the work we are doing with school children to educate them on water conservation as part of the Green Schools initiative.
Information will also be available on water conservation and water protection on the farm; Irish Water’s plan to deal with lead in drinking water; advice for business customers; recommendations on how to conserve water in your home; and information the 1000s of projects Irish Water have underway to build, maintain and develop secure safe drinking water and improve wastewater services around the country.
According the Managing Director of Irish Water Jerry Grant,
“People are very often astonished at how much water they use every day and the journey that water has to make to get into their home and out of it. On average each person uses 150 litres of water per day – that’s almost two full bath tubs of water. Given that only 1% of the earth’s water is usable as 97% is salt water and another 2% is frozen in glaciers, we really have to maximise the water we have access to.
“Irish Water are delighted to have the opportunity to meet our customers and help to inform and advise them at such a great event. Over 1,700 million litres of drinking water are supplied to homes and businesses every day and approximately 1,200 million litres of wastewater is returned safely to the environment daily, so there isn’t a person in the country who isn’t affected by our services. We have a lot of work still to do, and Irish Water are committed to employing our expertise and energy to improving the network, protecting the environment and building capacity to allow for growth for businesses and communities.”
“We are looking forward to seeing as many people as we can at the National Ploughing Championships, but for those you can’t make it on the day, much of the information will be available on our website.”