Leak detection team to the rescue in the City of the Tribes

23 March 2023

A colossal 850,000 litres of water have been saved in Galway every day following the detection of a major leak on the outskirts of the city. 

In fact, the daily water savings on Rosary Lane off Taylor’s Hill are so significant that they equate to enough water to supply the population of Balinasloe for a day. 

Gerry O’Donnell, Leakage Reduction Programme Manager with Uisce Éireann, described the find as “one of the largest savings of our precious resource this year in the North-West Region.” 

“It’s hard to understand that more than 850,000 litres of clean drinking water were disappearing underground every day. Water is a valuable resource and expensive to produce so finding this leak and successfully repairing it was of paramount importance.” 

Uisce Éireann and Galway City Council recognised a spike in water usage in the Taylor’s Hill area. However, there was a challenge in identifying the exact location of the water loss on the underground public network as there was no water surfacing.

A thorough assessment by the local authority’s leak detection crew followed. Step testing work coupled with specialised detection equipment allowed the team to pinpoint the location of the leak. 

Speaking about the success of the repair, Kieran Garvey, Executive Engineer with Galway City Council, said: “As a result of the collaboration between Galway City Council and Uisce Éireann, customers are enjoying a more secure and reliable water supply. For our leak detection team to have found this leak and the subsequent improvement to the network is a massive win”. 

“Securing the water supply in Galway City remains a vital focus and Uisce Éireann and Galway City Council are continuing with efforts to further drive down leakage in the area which will meet the demands of the city into the future. The finding of this leak is testament to the expertise and knowledge within Galway City Council's Find and Fix crews,” added Gerry O’Donnell.  

Identifying and repairing this leak will help Uisce Éireann to achieve our 2030 goal of a national leakage rate of 25%. The National Leakage Reduction team has made great strides since 2018 when the leakage rate stood at 46%. 

Since 2018, Uisce Éireann has invested more than €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the national Leakage Reduction Programme. We are investing a further €250 million every year up to the end of 2030 - fixing leaks and replacing pipes to provide a more reliable water supply. 

For more information, please visit our National Leakage Reduction Programme page.