Water outages in Knockdrin area for six weeks while works are carried out
There will be weekly water outages in Knockdrin and surrounding townlands over the next six weeks while Irish Water carries out essential works to the area's water mains.
The works involve the replacement of 1.3km of what Irish Water describes as "old and problematic water mains that were prone to leaks and bursts, causing supply disruptions for customers".
"The mains will be replaced with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes, using efficient, modern engineering technology. 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 customer’s water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead, these will be replaced as part of this improvement work. When completed, these improvement works will reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost to leakage, providing a safe, secure and more reliable water supply for home and businesses in the area.
"In order to reduce the impact of these works on customers, a specific method of construction is being used which will reduce build time and accelerate the works. To facilitate the safe delivery of the works, some traffic management will be in place for the duration of the project. Local and emergency access will be maintained at all times. A number of necessary, short-term water outages are also required. The first outage began this afternoon at 3pm and the supply will return at 11.55pm. There will be another outage tomorrow, Thursday, from 3pm to 11.55pm. The outages are scheduled to take place weekly for the next six weeks and customers in Knockdrin, Monilea, Crookedwood, Crazy Corner, Loughagar, Baronstown, Galmoylestown, Mornington, Killynnan, Clondrisse and surrounding areas may experience disruption to their water supply. We acknowledge that this may cause inconvenience and we will actively communicate details prior to any planned water shut-offs. It may take 2-3 hours following restoration time for the network to refill and normal water supply to fully return, however, please continue to follow the HSE guidance on handwashing. Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause."
Speaking about the project Matthew Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said: “Replacing these old, damaged pipes will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages for the community of Knockdrin and provide a more secure and reliable water supply for home and businesses. We do understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary 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 Knockdrin."
The works in the Knockdrin area are are part of Irish Water's Leakage Reduction Programme that will see €500 million invested up to the end of 2021 to reduce the level of leakage across the country by fixing and replacing old and damaged water mains. For more information on the programme, please visit www.water.ie/reducingleaks.
For helpful tips and advice on how to prepare for planned works and avoid issues with your water supply, visit www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-issues/prepare-for-planned-works/. These essential works are being carried out on behalf of Irish Water, in adherence with the HSE and government guidance on Covid-19, by GMC Utilities and are expected to be completed before the end of next month.
Irish Water's customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1850 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.