water back

He said teams had also been "working around the clock" to restore water back to properties as quickly as possible.

But he knew they were in trouble when he tried to hose down their plants and the wind blew the water back into his face.

“Our goal was to get that water back in the creek and protect the forest,” Frye said.

“Restoring water back to Strawberry Creek will make a huge difference in the watershed for all of the plant and animal species.”

In theory, one of Northern Ireland Water's 1,124 wastewater treatment works will treat any discharges coming from homes and businesses, before pumping the newly cleaned water back into rivers or the sea.