Upgrades to improve water supply and reduce leakage in Kerry

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Kerry County Council, is replacing 250m of problematic water mains on the R874 and the N86 out the Tralee to Blennerville/Dingle Road from the junction with Canal New Road to the Marina Hotel.

The programme to replace the water mains will commence on 14 June 2021 and are being carried out as part of Uisce Éireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme. 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.

Speaking about the works, Uisce Éireann’s Network Programmes Regional Lead, Steven Blennerhassett said;

“The benefits of these works will come by way of replacing water mains and service connections that will significantly improve water quality and also reduce the instances of bursts and the occurrences of water outages which will ensure a reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area.

"This work will also eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground, which is hugely important. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2019 it was 42% and we are currently on course to achieving a national leakage rate of 38% by 2021.

“Additionally, on completion, the works will deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future. Finally, I would like to thank the residents for their patience as we carry out these essential works.”

Traffic management in the form of Stop/Go system will be in place during this time with local and emergency traffic maintained throughout. The works will be carried out by directional drilling via access pits in order to reduce disruption. The works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water shut offs.

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. Its delivery represents an investment of over €500 million between 2017 and 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the water network.

Uisce Éireann continues to work currently with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Uisce Éireann would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing. Uisce Éireann is working proactively with our delivery partners and as part of a multi-agency working group to ensure that our construction works are carried out in a controlled and safe manner, in keeping with Government and HSE guidelines to protect workers, their families and the broader community.

Uisce Éireann understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

For customer queries, please contact 1800 278 278.