A "water conservation campaign" has been launched to encourage the public to use only what they need.

One year on from the worst drought in 70 years, which resulted in the country's first hosepipe ban, Irish Water are launching a water conservation campaign. The penalties will be set at €1.85 for each 1,000 litres used, on top of the annual allowance. A major part of the campaign will be to fix leaks, with Irish Water believing that the current national leakage rate is at 43%. Working with local authority partners, they are currently fixing over 1,500 leaks every month, but they plan on increasing this number even further. The commission said consumers will have 12 months to address possible leaks and usage activity before receiving their bill. Speaking as the Water Conservation campaign was launched, Head of Asset Management Seán Laffey, said "In 2018 bad storms followed by the prolonged drought last year really showed people that safe, clean, treated water is not in unlimited supply and that we all have to play a part in conserving it. "It was really encouraging last summer to see on social media and elsewhere, the conservation measures that people were taking in their homes and businesses. However, when the urgency of a drought passes, it is easy to lose focus on how precious water is. "This is despite the fact that the financial and environmental impact of treating and providing drinking water does not decrease as rainfall increases." More information on the new campaign can be found here.