National Leakage Reduction Programme continues with water main replacement project in Charleville
14 August 2023
As part of its commitment to upgrade and improve water supplies across Co Cork, Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork County Council, is progressing a significant project to upgrade and improve the water supply in Ballincolly, Charleville.
The project is due to commence later this month and involves the replacement of approximately 2.8 km of aged water mains with new modern pipes along N20 and L5494, in Ballincolly.
When completed, the upgrade will provide a more reliable water supply and reduce the amount of treated drinking water lost to leakage. The works are a critical step in conserving our precious resource and reducing high levels of leakage which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers.
The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.
Senior Portfolio Manager, for Uisce Éireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme, Paul Gray is looking forward to getting crews on site. “Old and damaged water mains remain a huge source of leakage and continue to impact communities right across Ireland, causing low pressure and supply disruption. Replacing these old water mains in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.”
“The delivery of these essential works will help provide a safer, more secure water supply for Ballincolly, by minimising the frequency of bursts and improving the resilience of the network.”
“We would like to thank the community in Ballincolly for their patience and cooperation during the works, we know based on previous experiences that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the lasting benefits.”
To facilitate the safe delivery of the works, traffic management in the form of flagmen/ traffic lights will be place along the N20 and a road closure along the L5494. Traffic flows will be diverted during the closure. Local and emergency traffic will always be maintained.
Night works will be required along the N20 section of works. The night works period granted by Cork County Council extends from 7 pm, Monday, 21 August to 7 am, Friday, 15 September 2023.
The works may involve some short-term water interruptions, and 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 carried out by Ward and Burke Construction on behalf of Uisce Éireann and is due to be completed by the end of October 2023.
The National Leakage Reduction Programme helps provide a more reliable water supply to Irish communities by reducing high levels of leakage and improving water quality. Since 2018, its delivery has represented an investment of over €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the Leakage Reduction Programme. Uisce Éireann is also investing a further €250 million annually up to the end of 2030 directed at fixing leaks and replacing pipes to provide a more reliable water supply.
Uisce Éireann’s 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 Water Supply Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website or set your location on our website.
Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit the Uisce Éireann website.