Irish Water have ‘upgrades on horizon for Mullingar’
Securing the water supply in Westmeath remains a top priority for Irish Water as the intensive campaign continues to drive down leakage across the county and improve the water supply to homes and businesses.
These projects continue to be delivered as part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme, which is delivering significant benefits to communities across Ireland, including improved water quality, a more secure water supply, and considerable water savings.
Working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, Irish Water is replacing some 1.2km of old and damaged, water mains, in Rathcolman, Mullingar along the R392 and adjacent road, the L1801.
Aged pipes over time can significantly affect water quality, leakage levels, and pressure.
Replacing 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 by Irish Water.
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, we are delivering these works on a phased basis with areas of work limited to short sections.
“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 them to the customer’s water supplies.
The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions, which can cause inconvenience – however, the project team will ensure that customers have 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 December.
Fixing leaks can be complicated but Irish Water is making progress, it said in a statement. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was reduced to 38%. It is 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.
Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.