Rathconnell water works to take six weeks

Disruption to water services in the Rathconnell area can be expected as Irish Water begin replacing ageing water mains from Monday February 26.

The work is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete and involves the replacement of the ageing water main with a new modern water pipe.

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.

Irish Water is replacing 1.2kms of water mains prone to frequent bursts in Rathconnell, Mullingar, "to improve the security of the water supply for customers and reduce leakage in the network," came the statement from Irish Water.

Working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, This project is being carried out to provide a more reliable water supply for customers as this section of the water main has been prone to frequent bursts.

"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," stated a spokesperson for Irish Water.

"The Leakage Reduction Programme planned package of works for Westmeath was expanded to include this 1.2km of water main following an increase in bursts and associated interruptions in supply to customers over recent months.

"This project involves the replacement of the existing old and damaged public water main and replacing it with new modern high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes.

"The benefits of the project include a more reliable and secure water supply and improved water quality for the community. It will greatly reduce leakage in the network and 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 GMC Ltd. on behalf of Irish Water. 

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, Derek Deignan, Regional Lead – Irish Water Leakage Reduction Programme said this section of the public water mains in Rathconnell has experienced an increase in bursts over recent months resulting in a number of water outages for local residents impacting on the reliability of the water supply.

"Replacing the ageing water main with a new modern water pipe will provide a long term solution to ensure a safe and secure water supply is delivered to our customers," he said.

Residents and businesses in the area of the works have been notified and customers can phone Irish Water on callsave 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/