Watermain improvement works due to begin in Swinford

21 September 2021

Essential works will begin this week to replace an old watermain in Swinford that is prone to high levels of leakage. These works will improve the reliability of the water supply for residents and businesses who have been affected by water outages.

Irish Water and Mayo County Council are advancing these works to reduce the level of bursts and outages in the East Mayo town and eliminate leaks.

Approximately 230 metres of old watermain on Riverside Road will be replaced with polyethylene (plastic) pipes and new water service connections from the public main to customers’ property boundaries will also be installed.

Outlining the benefits of these works, Declan Cawley, Networks Regional Lead with Irish Water, said, “These essential works will strengthen and reinforce the water network in Swinford. There will be an immediate impact for customers with an improvement to the water supply due to reduced leakage rates and unplanned outages when bursts occur.

“During these essential works, customers may experience some short-term water outages. Irish Water will work to limit any disruptions, areas of work will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on customers and households and businesses will be notified of any planned water outages. We understand the inconvenience caused when works occur and thank customers for their patience while we complete these essential works to safeguard the water supply for customers.”

“The replacement of the water mains and service connections will not only reduce the instances of bursts and outages but eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost underground.”

Mayo County Council is carrying out the works on behalf of Irish Water. Traffic management will be in place to facilitate the safe delivery of the works, which are due to be completed by the end of October. Our customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries.

Irish Water continues to work with customers in Swinford to reduce the demand on local water supply by locating and fixing nonvisible leaks. In the past year, 137,000 litres of water have been saved in the area each day and we thank customers for their continued assistance with our efforts to conserve water.

Most leaks aren’t visible and result in precious water being lost but Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme is making progress by fixing and replacing old water mains. In 2018, the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2020 it was reduced to 40% and we are currently on course to achieving a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021.

This will ensure a safe, reliable water supply which is vital for our health, our environment and our growing population and economy. For more information, please visit our National Leakage Reduction Programme page.