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Works to replace problematic water mains in Dungarvan due to commence

24 September 2021

As the autumn leaves begin to fall, so too comes a season of change to homes and businesses on the Gold Coast Road in Dungarvan as their wait for a safer, more reliable water supply concludes. Uisce Éireann and Waterford City and County Council today announce plans to replace aging and problematic water mains in early October.

The works involve the replacement of approximately 1450 metres of water mains with new modern pipes. The programme to replace the water mains on Gold Coast Road will commence in early October and are expected to be completed in late November/early December. These works are being carried out as part of Uisce Éireann’s National Leakage Reduction Programme which has seen €500m invested by the utility to reduce leakage nationally to 38% by 2021.

Anyone who knows this part of the country will tell you how beautiful it is and how popular it is with visitors” said Uisce Éireann’s Programme Delivery Lead, Joe Carroll.

We know that homes and businesses have been putting up with a lot of outages as a result of these problematic mains, with leakage levels quite high too. Now, we are delighted that we can improve their water supply by replacing these water mains. We are aware of the challenges people have had during the last 18 months, especially the business community, and we are committed to doing our part to help the country get back on its feet and working with businesses locally to ensure the works are not too disruptive.

A road closure will be in place on the Gold Coast Road for the duration of the works, however the route to south side of works via the Clonea Strand and Ballynacourty Road will be maintained but is for residents only, the road is closed for all other users and no through traffic will be possible unfortunately. The works will deliver efficiencies including cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future.

Pat McCarthy, who is a Senior Executive Engineer with Waterford City and County Council was also pleased to see the works commence; “Firstly, we welcome the works as the existing water  mains have been problematic for some time, so it’s great to see the works scheduled now. The replacement of these pipes and service connections will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages, ensuring a more reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area. It will also eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground. And finally, we will be working closely with local businesses to ensure we can reduce the impact on them as much as possible.

Residents and businesses in the areas to benefit from the planned improvements will be notified directly, and customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.

Uisce Éireann regrets any inconvenience these necessary water network improvements may cause. Details of any supply interruptions associated to this project will be updated regularly on the Supply and Service Updates section of our website.

Uisce Éireann is working 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.