Upgrades to improve water supply and reduce leakage in Bunbrosna

16 September 2021

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, continues to progress with water main replacement works in Mullenoran, Bunbrosna, to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of leakage in the area.

To facilitate the safe delivery of the works, some necessary, short-term water outages are required and are scheduled to take place on Monday 20 and Wednesday 22 September from 1pm to 8pm. Customers in the following areas may experience disruption to their water supply: Mullenoran, Bunbrosna, Lismacaffrey, Streete, Rathowen, Ballinalack, Multyfarham and surrounding areas.

It may take 2-3 hours following restoration time for the network to refill and normal water supply to fully return, however, please continue to follow the HSE guidance on handwashing. Uisce Éireann and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause and will continue to actively communicate details prior to any planned shut-off’s.

For helpful tips and advice on how to prepare for planned works and avoid issues with your water supply, visit the Prepare for works in your area section of our website. These essential works are being carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann, in adherence with the HSE and government guidance on Covid-19, by GMC Utilities and are expected to be completed by the end of September.

As part of these improvement works, Uisce Éireann is replacing over 500 metres of old and problematic water mains between Mullenoran Bridge and the R393 with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes which will reduce the number of bursts and water outages and ensure a reliable water supply for customers and local businesses. The works 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. Existing lead service connections on the public side are also being replaced.

To facilitate the safe delivery of these works, traffic management continues to be in place and includes a road closure with diversions via the N4, R394 and R393, however, local and emergency access is being maintained at all times to support the local community.

Speaking about the project Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann said: “Replacing these old, damaged pipes will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages for the local community and provide a more secure and reliable water supply for homes and businesses. We do understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works may cause. We would like to thank the local community, businesses, homeowners and commuters for their patience and cooperation while we deliver this vital water network improvement project to safeguard the water supply in Mullenoran”.

The Uisce Éireann 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 Supply and Service Updates section of our website.

This project is one example of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Local Authorities to provide a more reliable water supply and reduce leakage. Fixing leaks can be complicated but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2020 it was reduced to 40%. We are currently on course to achieve a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021.

Uisce Éireann is working at this time, 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 current HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.