Water main works in parts of Mullingar to start on Monday

Irish Water, working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, is progressing with water main improvement works in Kilpatrick, Ballinea in Mullingar to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of leakage in the area.

The works will involve the replacement of almost 800 metres of old and problematic water mains with new high density, polyethylene (plastic) pipes.

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 customers’ water supplies.

Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead, these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.

To facilitate the safe delivery of these works, some traffic management will be in place – however, local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.

The works may involve some short-term supply disruptions, which we understand may cause inconvenience, a spokesperson for Irish Water said.

The project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water shut-offs.

Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause.

The works, which are scheduled to begin on Monday September 28, are being carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities and are expected to be completed by October 2020.

Matt Thomson, Irish Water, said: “We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these works may cause.

“We would like to thank the local community, businesses, homeowners and commuters for their patience and cooperation while we deliver this vital water network improvement project to safeguard the water supply in Mullingar.”

This project is one example of how Irish Water is working in partnership with Westmeath County Council to reduce leaks every day.

Fixing leaks can be complicated as there are more than 63,000km of water pipe in Ireland.

The national Leakage Reduction Programme involves an investment of €500 million up to the end of 2021 to reduce the level of leakage across the country by fixing and replacing old and damaged water mains.

This will ensure a safe, reliable water supply which is vital for our health, our environment and our growing population and economy.

For more information, see www.water.ie/reducingleaks.

The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1850 278 278 and customers can also contact the company on Twitter @IWCare.

For updates, see the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.

Irish Water is working at this time, with local authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and wellbeing of staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services.

Irish Water would like to remind people to follow the HSE Covid-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.