Leakage Reduction Programme
Over 1km of old pipes to be replaced
Tuesday, 12 September 2023 – Uisce Éireann has commenced works to replace old water mains along Station Road in Dunkerrin to provide a reliable and robust water supply for the local community. The works are a critical step in conserving water and reducing the instances of bursts, which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers.
Joe Carroll, Infrastructure Delivery Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann, is looking forward to ensuring that customers in Dunkerrin experience fewer disruptions to their water supply, with works set to be completed in October of this year.
“Working in partnership with Offaly County Council, we have prioritised leakage reduction works to those areas which need it most. This project will see the replacement of approximately 1km of old water mains with new, modern pipes. Replacing these pipes will address leakage issues and will ensure a resilient water supply for homes and businesses in the area.”
Joe added: “Part of ensuring that safe and reliable drinking water is produced every day in County Offaly, is driving down the amount of clean, treated water lost to leakage. We would like to thank the local community for their continued cooperation and patience while we continue to upgrade and improve the water supply across the county.”
The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. If the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of these improvement works.
Ward & Burke Construction Ltd are carrying out the works on behalf of Uisce Éireann. The works have commenced in Ballyrihy, and will proceed from the junction of the R490 and L-4020-2 for just over 1km along the L-4020-2. Traffic management will be in place to facilitate the works however local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.
Uisce Éireann’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For local updates, please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website or set your location on our website www.water.ie
Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit www.water.ie
Below are links to some videos about the National Leakage Reduction Programme:
National Leakage Reduction Programme – Click here
Find and Fix Programme – Click here
First Fix Free scheme testimonial – Click here
The National Leakage Reduction Programme helps provide a more reliable water supply to Irish communities. Since 2018, its delivery represents an investment of over €500 million. Uisce Éireann is also investing a further €250 million annually up to the end of 2030 directed at fixing leaks and replacing pipes.
Parts of Ireland’s water network, particularly in urban areas are over a century old. Every day 1.7 billion litres of water are distributed through the network but 37% of this clean water is lost through leaks. The programme is on track to reduce the national leakage rate further to 25% by the end of 2030. This will see 200 million litres of drinking water which would have been lost to leakage saved daily.
Uisce Éireann’s Leakage Reduction Programme will fix or replace old, damaged pipes and remove any lead pipes from the public network. Households who currently share a supply connection will also be directly connected to the public water mains. This will ensure that customers have access to more reliable water services and experience fewer water outages due to bursts and leaks.