Irish Water to start replacing 1km of old mains in Rathcolman

Irish Water will start replacing over one kilometre of old and damaged water mains in Rathcolman, Mullingar next week.

The work, which will be carried out in partnership with Westmeath County Council, will see Irish Water replacing over 1.2km of old and damaged water mains in Rathcolman, along the R392 and adjacent road, the L1801. Aged pipes over time can significantly impact water quality, leakage levels, and pressure. Replacing these old, damaged pipes with new, modern pipework will greatly reduce the instances of bursts, outages, and low-pressure affecting customers. The project, which will begin next week, represents a significant investment, Irish Water says.

Highlighting the importance of these upgrades, Matt Thomson, leakage reduction programme regional lead with Irish Water, said: “We are delighted to announce this major investment for Mullingar. Replacing these old and damaged pipes is a first step in tackling water pressure and leakage issues which have been affecting homes and businesses. The works will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage, it will deliver a much more reliable supply for generations to come.

“To minimise the impact on the local community, we are delivering these works on a phased basis with areas of work limited to short sections.”

Mr Thomson added: “On behalf of Irish Water, I would like thank the local community in advance for their patience and cooperation as traffic management will be necessary as the project progresses, however, based on previous experiences, we know that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits.”

The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customer’s water supply. The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions which may cause inconvenience, however, Irish Water says the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions. The project is being delivered on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Group and is expected to be completed in November.

Fixing leaks can be complicated but Irish Water says it is making progress.

"In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was reduced to 38%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030. For more information, please visit www.water.ie/reducingleaks."

The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.