Emo, Portlaoise next to benefit from works as investment in Laois continues

02 June 2022

Securing the water supply across Laois remains a top-priority for Uisce Éireann with a programme of improvement works announced for the village of Emo near Portlaoise. The project, due to begin next week, represents a significant investment in Emo, which is being prioritised as part of Uisce Éireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme.

Uisce Éireann working in partnership with Laois County Council, will replace almost 2kms of old and problematic water mains with modern pipes to provide a more reliable water supply and improve the water quality. The new and modern pipework installed as part of these improvement works will significantly reduce the high level of leakage and bursts impacting houses and businesses..

The works will involve laying new water service connections from the public water mains located within the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply.

The areas of work will be limited to short sections to minimise the impact on customers and traffic management will be in place during this time. Works taking place along the R419 will be managed under a stop and go system while the works on L3154 will require a temporary road closure, with details of any diversion routes to be communicated locally.

Reiterating the importance of this major project for the people of Emo, Joe Carroll, Regional Delivery Lead at Uisce Éireann, said, “We are very much aware of the water quality issues that are impacting homes and businesses in Emo and this project will significantly improve their water quality.

“Replacing old and damaged pipes which have had a long history of leakage, resulting in outages and low pressure to homes and businesses, will ensure the delivery a more reliable water supply for generations to come.”

Joe added: “These ongoing projects are part of a significant investment by Uisce Éireann to upgrade the water network across Laois and we would like to thank customers for their continued cooperation and patience while we continue to upgrade and improve the water supply for local communities in the county.”

The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Ward & Burke Construction and are expected to be completed by the end of August of this year.

Since 2018 Uisce Éireann has invested over €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across Ireland through the delivery of the Leakage Reduction Programme. A further €250 million will be invested every year up to the end of 2030, to fix leaks and replace pipes to vastly improve the water across the country.

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 project 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 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.