Irish Water To Replace Old Cast Iron Pipes In Westmeath

Monday, 20 September 2021 16:17

The work is due to start tomorrow.

Irish Water is to begin replacing old and problematic water mains in Westmeath.

The works are taking place in the Ballynacarrigy area to reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality for homes and local businesses.

Almost 350 metres of old, cast iron water mains along the L1902 Wood Road, Harbour Street and the R393 in the direction of Mullingar will be replaced.

The old mains will be replaced with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes which will reduce the number of bursts and water outages impacting customers and ensure a more reliable supply of water for the local community.

The utility says it will be working on short sections to minimise the impact on customers, however there may be a need for traffic management to be put in place.

The works may also involve some short-term supply disruptions but customers will be given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water outages.

Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these necessary improvement works may cause.

The works, which are scheduled to begin on 21 September, will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Ltd in adherence with current HSE and government guidance on COVID-19 and are expected to be completed by the end of October.

Speaking about the project Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water said: “These works are vital to ensure a more secure water supply to homes and businesses in Mullingar and are part of a significant investment by Irish Water 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 necessary works may cause. We would like to thank the community of Ballynacarrigy in advance for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these vital water network improvement works and safeguard the water supply now and into the future”.

The Irish Water 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 Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.