Works progress to improve Rathmines water supply

04 October 2021

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Dublin City Council, is progressing with essential water mains replacement works on Leinster Road in Rathmines to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of bursts and leakage in the area.  

The works, which are underway will involve the construction of 2km of new watermains which will improve water quality and reduce high levels of bursts and leakage that impacted the water supply to customers in this area. 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 customer’s water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead, these will be replaced as part of this improvement work. These works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by GMC Utilities Ltd and are expected to be completed in December 2021.

To facilitate the safe delivery of these works and to minimise disruption to customers, work will be completed in short sections. Traffic management will be in place with local and emergency traffic maintained at all times. Uisce Éireann and Dublin City Council will make every effort to maintain normal supply to all properties throughout the works however some short-term water outages may be necessary and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water outages. Uisce Éireann and Dublin City Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause.

Speaking about these works, Matthew Thomson, Uisce Éireann’s Regional Lead, commented “These works are vital to ensure a more secure water supply to homes and businesses in Rathmines and are part of a significant investment by Uisce Éireann to safeguard the water supply. We understand this type of work can be inconvenient and we will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these works may cause.”

These works are an example of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Dublin City Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000km of water pipe in Ireland. Most leaks aren’t visible, resulting in precious water being lost but we are making progress. 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.

The national Leakage Reduction Programme which will see €500 million invested up to the end of 2021 helps to reduce the level of leakage across the country by fixing and replacing old water mains. 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 project page.

Our customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries.