But a local business owners is hitting out at Irish Water's poor communications.
Work is underway to reduce high level water leaks in Athlone.
500 metres of old mains, prone to bursting, on the Bullet Road are being replaced with plastic pipes.
Irish Water says it may involve some short-term water outages, but that customers will be notified beforehand.
However, Ken Robinson, who owns Kafe U on the Dublin Road, says he received no notice of shut-offs today and was forced to turn away customers at lunchtime.
He's annoyed at the lack of communication from Irish Water:
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