Irish Water progressing with essential water main replacement works in Laois to safeguard the water supply and reduce high levels of leakage
Irish Water, working in partnership with Laois County Council, is progressing with essential water mains replacement works in Abbeyleix and Portlaoise to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of leakage in the area. These essential works will be delivered in adherence with the HSE and government guidance on COVID-19.
The works, which are scheduled to begin on Monday 12 April, will involve the replacement of almost 300 meters of old problematic water mains in Colliers Lane, Portlaoise and over 1.5km of old cast iron water mains in Tonduff in Abbeyleix. The pipes will be replaced with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes which will improve water quality and reduce high levels of leakage which was impacting the water supply to customers in these areas.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.
To facilitate the safe delivery of these works, traffic management will be in place. In Tonduff, the L-1656 road will be closed from 19 April to 7 May and the L-6717 road will be closed from 4 May to 21 May. Diversions will be clearly signposted. The works may involve some short-term supply disruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience. The project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water shut-off’s. Irish Water and Laois County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause. The works will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by Ward and Burke Ltd. and are expected to be completed by the end of April in Colliers Lane and by the end of May in Tonduff.
To date, Irish Water and Laois County Council have saved over 6 million litres of water daily across Co. Laois, that’s enough water to supply over 46,000 people per day, as a result of leakage reduction and repair works in several towns and villages across the county. This has significantly reduced the number of bursts and water outages, resulting in a more reliable water supply for homes and business in Laois.
Speaking about the project, Joe Carroll, 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 these vital water network improvement improvement works to safeguard the water supply in Laois”.
This project is one example of how Irish Water is working in partnership with Laois County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000km of water pipe in Ireland. Our national Leakage Reduction Programme 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. 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, please visit www.water.ie/reducingleaks.
Our 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.
Irish Water is working at this time, with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both 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.