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Crews continue to drive down leakage across Dublin with further upgrades planned for Swords

16 August 2022

Securing the water supply in Dublin remains a top priority for Uisce Éireann as the intensive campaign continues to drive down leakage across the county and improve the water supply to homes and businesses. Next week, Uisce Éireann will continue to replace old and problematic water mains in Swords to provide a more reliable water supply, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality.

This project is being delivered as part of Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme which is delivering significant benefits to local communities across Ireland including improved water quality, a more secure water supply and considerable water savings.

Working in partnership with Fingal County Council, the works involve the replacement of over 200 meters of old and damaged, cast iron water mains with new modern pipes on Bridge Street in Swords, from the junction of Church Road to the junction of Main Street. Cast iron mains can, over time, become encrusted which can significantly impact water quality and pressure. Replacing these old, damaged pipes with new, modern pipework will greatly improve water quality and reduce the instances of bursts, outages and low-pressure affecting customers. The upgrade works, which will begin on Monday 22 August, represents a significant investment by Uisce Éireann.

Highlighting the importance of these upgrades, Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann, said, “We are delighted to announce this important investment in Swords. Replacing these old and damaged, cast-iron 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 also significantly improve water quality for the local community as well as delivering a much more reliable supply for generations to come."

On behalf of Uisce Éireann, I’d 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.”

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. Traffic management will be necessary which will include a lane closure on Bridge Street, and traffic heading west via Bridge Street and onto the Rathbeale Road will be restricted. Diversions will be communicated locally and signposted on approach.

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. 

The project is being delivered on behalf of Uisce Éireann by GMC Utilities Group and is expected to be completed by mid-September.

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 25%  by the end of 2030. For more information, please visit our National Leakage Reduction Programme page.

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 the Uisce Éireann 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.