Irish Water replacing ageing water mains in County Offaly to secure the water supply for customers and reduce leakage
14th February 2018
The replacement of 2kms of water mains in Geashill and 1.9kms of water mains in Rhode will improve the quality of water and improve water pressure to properties
(Issued Thursday, 8 February 2018) Irish Water, working in partnership with Offaly County Council, will begin work to replace ageing water mains that are prone to bursts on Monday, 19 February in Geashill and in Rhode in County Offaly. Irish Water is replacing the water main to provide a more reliable water supply for customers.
This project will involve the replacement of the existing old and damaged public water main and replacing it with new modern high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The works will also see the replacement of old damaged service connections. These are the water pipes which join Irish Water’s public main to a customer’s property. The benefits of the project include a more reliable and secure water supply and improved water quality for both communities. It will also greatly reduce leakage in the network. The project will also deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future.
These works will be carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd. on behalf of Irish Water. The works on Monday, 19 February in Greashill and Rhode and are expected to take approximately 8 weeks to complete.
The works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs. Traffic management will be in place for the duration of the works. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.
Commenting on the works, Georgina O’Reilly, Regional Lead – Water Network Programme said “The existing public water mains in Geashill and in Rhode on the R400 have experienced bursts over the years resulting in a number of water outages for local residents and businesses and impacting the reliability of the water supply . Replacing the ageing water mains with a new modern pipe will provide a long term solution to ensure a safe and secure water supply is delivered to customers. This project is part of Irish Water’s commitment to invest in Ireland’s water infrastructure which has been underinvested in for decades”.
These works are being carried out as part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme. As part of this programme Irish Water is investing over €500 million over the next four years to reduce leakage and remove old damaged pipes from the public water network. This will help to ensure that we have a clean, safe and reliable public water supply now and into the future to support our growing population and economy. Residents and businesses in the area of the works have been notified and customers can phone Irish Water on call save 1850 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.
Irish Water would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience these essential works cause. Details of work in the area will be updated regularly on the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-and-service-update/
Further information on Irish Water’s Leakage Reduction Programme is also available on the http://Irish Water website www.water.ie