Lowering leakage in Tobar Caoin and Salt Pans

08 November 2023

Securing Donegal’s water supply remains a priority for Uisce Éireann as the campaign to drive down leakage and improve supply to homes and businesses in the Glenties district continues.

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Donegal County Council, is scheduled to replace over 745 metres of old water mains along the L-1723 Maghery Road from Tubberkeen to Salt Pans that were prone to frequent bursts and leakage. The mains are being replaced with new modern pipes.

This project has been prioritised as part of Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme which is delivering a more secure and reliable water supply to communities right across Ireland.

The works are due to commence in the coming days and are expected to be completed by February next year. Once completed, customers in this area will enjoy an improved water supply with less disruption. 

This project is being carried out by Farrans Construction on behalf of Uisce Éireann. 

Commenting on the project Uisce Éireann’s Programme Manager, Patricia Lowry said: “This essential work is part of a significant investment by Uisce Éireann to improve the water network in the Glenties, prioritising investment where it is needed most enabling communities to thrive.” 

Patricia continued: “We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient, however works crews will ensure areas of works are limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers. We would like to assure the community that traffic management will be in place where water mains are being constructed and local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.”

This project forms part of Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme and will help us 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.