Irish Water to start upgrade for Ballynacargy in coming days

Working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, Irish Water is replacing approximately 2km of old and damaged, cast-iron water mains along the L1902 in Ballynacargy with new, modern pipes.

In a statement released today, Irish Water said ageing pipes over time, can significantly impact water quality, leakage levels, and pressure.

The project, which will begin in the coming days, represents a significant investment by Irish Water.

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 the local community in Ballinacarrigy, Kilbixy.

"Replacing these old and damaged pipes is a first step in tackling water quality, 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 and improved water quality 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.”

Matt 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.”

Service interruption

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 we understand may cause inconvenience, however, the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions," continued Matt Thompson.

The project is being delivered on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Group and is expected to be completed at the end of January 2023.

Fixing leaks can be complicated but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was reduced to 38%. Irish Water say they are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.

For more information 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.