Completion of major new watermain project in Tullamore to safeguard the water supply
02 August 2022
Homes and businesses in Tullamore are enjoying a safer, more reliable water supply following the completion of a major project involving the construction of new watermains in the town. Tullamore is a thriving business and shopping location and the fourth most populated town in the Midlands and the completion of the works will reduce high levels of leakage, improve water quality and resilience for homes and businesses in the area.
Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Offaly County Council prioritised the replacement of this watermain, through the national Leakage Reduction Programme. Homes and businesses in the town were often impacted by unplanned water outages. These works, which were complex given the size of the watermain and the urban surroundings, included the construction of over 1.3kms along Clara Road to future proof the water supply in Tullamore. The works also involved the laying of new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. The works were delivered by Ward and Burke Construction on behalf of Uisce Éireann.
Speaking about the collaboration involved in delivering the project, Anthony Hanniffy, President of the Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce said "Uisce Éireann's completion of water mains replacement works under the Leakage Reduction Programme on Clara Road, Tullamore, is a very welcome development for our town. Our town needs modern utilities in order to attract new business to our area and also to be able to keep the world class businesses that we currently have. We welcome Uisce Éireann's ongoing commitment to our area.”
Joe Carroll, Regional Delivery Lead at Uisce Éireann said, “Replacing these old watermains that had a tendency to burst will help to safeguard the water supply for customers that previously experienced unplanned interruptions. The installation of the new watermains will also help to conserve water and reduce water lost to leakage. We would especially like to thank the community and businesses for their patience and cooperation as we worked to deliver this vital water network improvement project.”
Joe added “This project is one example of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Offaly County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000km of water pipe in Ireland. Most leaks aren’t visible, resulting in precious water being lost but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46% by the end of 2021 it was 38%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.”
Martin Quinn, Senior Executive Engineer, Water Services, Offaly County Council, welcoming the completion of the project said, “These interruptions were causing significant disruption for residents and businesses in the town. These remedial works will ensure the town has a secure and stable water supply which is a great result for the people of Tullamore.”
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.