Watermain replacement planned for Coosan area
Irish Water, working in partnership with Westmeath County Council, is progressing with water main replacement works in the Coosan area to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of leakage.
The works will involve the replacement of over 700 metres of old and problematic water mains from Coosan National School towards Coosan Point with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes which will reduce the number of bursts and water outages impacting customers.
The works, which are scheduled to begin in mid-November, will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Ltd. and are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
Irish Water says the work is part of its ongoing efforts to secure the water supply in Athlone, to drive down leakage across the town and improve the water supply for homes and businesses
The project will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to property boundaries and connecting it to the water supply. Where existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.
To minimise the impact, areas of work will be limited to short sections. To facilitate the safe delivery of these works some traffic management may be necessary, however, local and emergency access will be maintained.
Irish Water said the works may involve some short-term supply disruptions. The project team will ensure that a minimum of 48 hours’ notice is given prior to any planned water interruptions. Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause.
Speaking about the project Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water said: “Irish Water acknowledges the co-operation and patience of local residents and businesses in Athlone while we continue to deliver these vital water network improvement works and improve the water supply. The size and scale of the leakage challenge nationally is well documented. These essential works together with the leakage savings and upgrade works to date will safeguard the water supply in Athlone now and into the future, and will also support future growth and development.”
As a result of leakage reduction works and through the close partnership between Irish Water and Westmeath County Council, over five million litres of water has been saved daily across Athlone.
In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46% by the end of 2020 it was 40% and Irish Water is on course to achieving a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021. For more information, please visit www.water.ie/reducingleaks
The Irish Water helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and they can be contacted via Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.