It has been a busy start to 2024 for Uisce Éireann crews in County Clare as an important project to improve water supply to homes and businesses gets underway.
Crews will arrive in Ennistymon in the coming days to get to work replacing 900 metres of aged cast iron water mains with new modern pipes.
The section of works will take place along Circular Road, from Ennistymon Garda Station and continue onto Church Hill and Victoria Terrace. These improvement works will also take place along the N85 (New Road), from Linnane’s Funeral Home to Alfie’s Cafe. 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.
Programme Manager for Uisce Éireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme Jack Cronin outlined the benefits of the works for customers in Ennistymon.
“Old and damaged water mains remain a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities across County Clare, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these old water mains in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground. The delivery of these essential works will help provide a safer, more secure water supply for Ennistymon by minimising the frequency of bursts and improving the resilience of the network.”
“We would like to thank the community in Ennistymon in advance for their patience and cooperation during the works. We know based on previous experiences that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the lasting benefits.”
The works will be carried out by Ward & Burke on behalf of Uisce Éireann and are expected to be completed in April 2024.
Areas of work will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers. To deliver the works safely and efficiently, a road closure will be in place along the N85 until Friday, 23 February 2024. Local and emergency traffic will always be maintained.
A road closure on Church Hill road will be applied for as works progress and this will be communicated at a later time. Traffic management will be in place along Circular Road in the form of flagmen and traffic lights. The works may involve some short-term interruptions to the water supply but the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours-notice prior to any planned interruption. We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and our team will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.
This project in County Clare has been prioritised as part of Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme which is delivering a more secure and reliable water supply to communities right across Ireland.
This project forms part of Uisce Eireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme and will help us achieve our 2030 goal of a national leakage rate of 25%. The National Leakage Reduction team has made great strides since 2018 when the leakage rate stood at 46%.
Since 2018, Uisce Éireann has invested more than €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the national Leakage Reduction Programme. We are investing a further €250 million every year up to the end of 2030 – fixing leaks and replacing pipes to provide a more reliable water supply.
For more information on the national Leakage Reduction Programme, please visit www.water.ie/reducingleaks
