Works continue to upgrade and improve the water supply in Greystones

16 March 2022

Securing the water supply in Greystones remains a vital focus for Uisce Éireann with a further programme of works due to begin next week in the town to drive down leakage and improve water quality and supply to homes and businesses. The works continue to be carried out as part of Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme.

Working in partnership with Wicklow County Council, Uisce Éireann has recently replaced over 1km of old and broken, cast iron water mains in the Trafalgar Road and Cliff Road areas of the town with customers already enjoying a more reliable water supply and improved water quality. These old cast iron mains were replaced with new, modern pipework which has significantly reduced the number of bursts and water outages that were impacting customers.

The next upgrade project planned for the town will take place in the coming days in Windgates and involves the replacement of 500 meters of aged cast iron water mains with new modern pipes. The works will take place along the R761 and 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 customer’s water supply.

Speaking about the project Joe Carrol, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann said: “The size and scale of the leakage challenge nationally is well documented. Replacing these old and damaged pipes in Greystones which have a history of bursting, along with the works already undertaken, will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage, it will also improve water quality for the local community.

“We understand that road works can be inconvenient, but our crews will make every effort to minimise disruption to the local community as we continue to improve the water supply in Greystones and progress the national Leakage Reduction Programme across Wicklow.”

To minimise the impact on customers, areas of work will be limited to short sections and some traffic management will be necessary, however, local and emergency access will be maintained. 

The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience, however, the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions. The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Ward & Burke Construction and expected to be completed by the end of April.

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 reduced to 38%.  We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 32% by the end of 2024. For more information, please visit the National Leakage Reduction Programme section of our website.

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.

Uisce Éireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.