Uisce Éireann turning the tide on Tipperary’s leakage
27 March 2023
Communities across Tipperary can look forward to a more reliable water supply thanks to a programme of improvement works taking place in the county.
Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Tipperary County Council, will replace more than 1200 metres of damaged water mains with new, modern pipes in Kilcommon to drive down leakage. The works will take place along the L-2266-1 Churchview Road between Kilcommon village and the R497 Nenagh to Thurles Road.
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.
In order to complete the works in a safe and efficient manner, a road closure is required along the L-2266-11 Churchview road between Kilcommon Village and the R497. The road closure will be in place from the end of March until late April. During the works diversions will be in place and signposted.
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 in Kilcommon will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by ShareRidge Civil Engineering and are expected to be completed by the end of April.
Outlining the benefits the water mains replacement project will bring, Gerry O’Donnell from Uisce Éireann, explained: “Old and damaged water mains are 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 in Tipperary will eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.”
Gerry added, “I would like to thank the local community in advance for their patience and cooperation during the works, we know based on previous experiences that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits.”
Customers are already seeing the benefits of Uisce Éireann’s efforts to provide a more reliable water supply across the Premier County.
The people of Tipperary Town will have seen crews on the ground in recent months working hard on Main Street to successfully replace 300m of ageing water mains with new modern pipes.
These projects in Tipperary are examples of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Local Authorities to reduce leakage and provide a more reliable water supply. 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 38%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.
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 our website or set your location on our website.