Irish Water to Tackle Leakage Across Tipperary as Part of €500 Million National Programme
Irish Water has recently begun an extensive programme of work to improve water supply and tackle leaks in the network across Tipperary as part of a €500 million national investment in leakage reduction. Current works include replacing over 13 km of old and damaged watermains, removing any lead service pipes found on the public network, and finding and repairing leaks in the network across the county. This represents a significant investment in the county which will deliver big improvements in the water network, with homes and businesses benefiting from better water pressure and improved security and quality of their water supply.
This is part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme, which over the next four years will see €500 million invested to reduce the high level of leakage across the country by fixing or replacing aging water mains.
13km of old watermains to be replaced in North and Central Tipperary
As part of the project, a total of 13 km of problematic watermains are being replaced across North and Central Tipperary, in Ballina (1.2 km), Garrykennedy (800 m), New Inn (5.6 km) and Lackamore (5.5 km).
Old and damaged asbestos cement and PVC water mains which are prone to frequent bursts and supply interruptions will be replaced with new high-performance PE (polyethylene) pipes. The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the street/road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.
Also to be delivered as part of this programme is the removal of lead service connections from the public water network in Tipperary Town, Nenagh and Cashel. The presence of lead in drinking water is a recognised health concern. The drinking water produced and distributed by Irish Water is free from lead. However, there is a possibility that lead can dissolve into water as it passes through lead pipework. In homes built before the 1970’s, it was common practice for the water supply pipes to be made from lead.
Irish Water is responsible for the pipe from the outer edge of the boundary of a property. The property owner is responsible for the pipe from the outer edge of the property boundary to the building and all the internal plumbing. Where public side lead pipework is replaced as part of this project, the customer will be notified that it is likely that there is lead pipework present within their property. The notice will include tips on identifying lead pipework as well as information on a private side lead pipework replacement grant available from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
Programme to Find and Fix leaks across county
As part of the Leakage Reduction Programme, work will also take place in the Clonmel area and the area served by the Galtee Regional Water Supply Scheme to find and fix leaks in the public network. These works involve surveying District Metering Areas to help identify leaks, and the deployment of leak detection crews to find leaks and carry out repairs. This work will be carried out in conjunction with the First Fix Free scheme which offers free leak investigations and free repairs for qualifying properties where a constant flow of water is found on the external water supply pipe.
All these works are being carried out by ShareRidge Ltd on behalf of Irish Water and in partnership with Tipperary County Council.
Alan Morrissey, Irish Water’s Networks Programme Regional Lead, commented: “We are pleased to be moving forward with this essential work to reduce water losses in the public water network throughout Tipperary. Reducing leakage is a priority for Irish Water so that we can deliver a much more secure, reliable and safer water supply for homes and businesses across the county. We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause. Where works are taking place on public roads, areas of work will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers. The works may involve some short-term water shut offs. The project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours notice prior to any planned water shut offs.”
Details of work in the area will be updated regularly on the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water-
Further information on Irish Water’s Leakage Reduction Programme is also available on the Irish Water website www.water.ie or via the 24/7 customer care line at 1850 278 278.
