Rathvilly community set to benefit from a more reliable water supply as watermain improvements continue

Uisce Éireann is nearing completion of almost 1km of watermain upgrades between Rathvilly town centre and Cuckoo Corner. The next phase of works, between Cuckoo Corner and the Philipstown Reservoir, will begin shortly and will help deliver a more reliable water supply for homes, farms, and businesses in the area.

The first phase of the project has involved the replacement of almost 1km of ageing watermains with new, modern pipes, helping to improve the reliability and efficiency of the local water supply. The next phase will involve the replacement of almost 4km of old watermains between the N81/R726 junction at Cuckoo Corner and the Philipstown Reservoir, further strengthening the network and reducing leakage.  

Welcoming the progress of the project, Dave Murphy, Portfolio Manager with Uisce Éireann, said: "We are pleased to see the first phase of these works nearing completion and would like to thank the local community for their patience and cooperation throughout the project. Together, these two phases will see almost 5km of ageing watermains replaced across Rathvilly, helping to reduce bursts and leaks and provide a more reliable water supply for homes, farms and businesses throughout the area.

"The next phase of works will continue these improvements between Cuckoo Corner and the Philipstown Reservoir. We know this work can cause some short-term disruption, and we would like to thank local residents and road users for their continued patience and support as these improvements progress."  

The upcoming works will involve replacing ageing watermains with new, modern pipes and laying new service connections from the public watermain to customers' property boundaries. These improvements will help reduce leakage and provide a more reliable water supply for homes, farms, and businesses in the area.  

The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Shareridge and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Uisce Éireann understands that this type of work can be disruptive and every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience to the local community while these essential improvements are carried out. Customers and businesses in the area have been notified directly through letter drops.

Customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project or visit the Water Supply Updates section of our website for regular updates.  

This project is one example of how Uisce Éireann works every day to reduce leaks. With more than 65,000 km of underground pipes nationally, enough to circle the earth one and a half times, fixing leaks can be complicated. Many are hidden, but we are making progress: national leakage is now at its lowest level ever, reduced from 49% in 2014 to 36% today.  

To learn more, visit our National Leakage Reduction Programme page.