FINGAL county council, one of the country’s biggest local authorities, believes it has solved the mystery of its disappearing water supplies. It has pinned the blame on privately owned companies which are tapping into the treated drinking water supply and using it to clean streets and drains.

The council, which recently warned the public it cannot guarantee a constant water supply over the next few months, is one of a number of local authorities currently struggling to meet the demand caused by increased property development.

Fingal produces up to 168m litres of water per day, but one third of this does not make it through to users and is termed “unaccounted for”. Some of the water is lost to leakage because of old pipes, but the council believes a significant amount is taken from hydrants without permission through standpipes that can be purchased widely and fitted easily.

Now the council is moving to regulate this activity, starting with road sweepers. It is to introduce permits, costing €650 per truck per year, in an attempt to recoup the cost of any water taken. The council is also calling on private operators to take untreated supplies from canals and rivers instead of main pipes and threatening to prosecute those found removing water without permission.

Paul Smyth, senior executive officer in the council’s water services department, said: “This is something that has been going on for some time. It’s not that the water is being stolen as such, it’s just that it is being taken without being accounted for and without anyone reporting it to us.

“It has been the norm for road sweepers to set up stand-pipes and fill their trucks this way, but we now consider them to be business users and want them to pay to cover the cost of water they take. Treated water is expensive to produce and we need to ensure it is being used correctly by domestic users who get it for free or by businesses that pay for it.”

The council has written to roadsweeper companies telling them they now need a permit and that unauthorised use of standpipes is strictly forbidden under the new water bye-laws. Anyone ignoring this advice can be fined up to €1,250 and €125 per day for any offences committed after a conviction.

Dublin city council said it is also examining the issue and will encourage roadsweepers and other water users to take their supplies from rivers and canals. South Dublin county council has operated a permit system for two years and said it helped reduce unaccounted for water to less than 20%.

One roadsweeper, who did not wish to be named, said he had applied to Fingal for a permit. He said his company, which uses trucks that require 200 gallons each per day, had taken water from the mains in the past. “Loads of people take water like this. Builders, gutter and drain cleaners, anyone who needs large amounts of water,” he said.

In Fingal 31% of the council’s water was unaccounted for last year and it is trying to reduce this to 16% by 2016.

Dublin city council is also attempting to reduce its unaccounted for water and is spending over €100m replacing leaking pipes. As much as 150m litres of water is lost in the greater Dublin area each day.

The move by Fingal comes just weeks after it wrote to residents asking them to conserve water. Its leaflet urged homeowners to take showers instead of baths and to turn off the tap when brushing teeth instead of leaving it running.

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