Ballinasloe looks forward to improved water supply

28 February 2022

Securing the water supply in Galway remains a vital focus for Uisce Éireann with works due to begin in Ballinasloe Town in the coming days. 

Working in partnership with Galway County Council, Uisce Éireann will replace almost 1.6km of old water mains in Ballinasloe Town, with new, modern pipes which will reduce the number of bursts and water outages impacting customers.

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.

To minimise the impact on customers, areas of work will be limited to short sections along the R446 from Mackney Roundabout to Banertons Garage. To facilitate the safe delivery of these works traffic management will be in place for the duration of the works. Local and emergency access will be maintained. 

The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions 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 interruptions. 

Speaking about the project Gerry O’Donnell, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann said: “The size and scale of the leakage challenge nationally is well documented. Replacing these old and damaged pipes in Ballinasloe, which had a history of bursting, will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost by leakage it will also improve water quality for the local community.

“We understand that road works can be inconvenient, but our crews will make every effort to minimise disruption to the local community as we continue to improve the water supply in Galway and progress the National Leakage Reduction Programme.”

The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Farrans Construction and are expected to be completed in May.

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%.  We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 32% by the end of 2024. For more information, please visit the National Leakage Reduction Programme section of our website.

The Uisce Éireann 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 Supply and Service Updates section of our website.

Uisce Éireann 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.