Garrycastle-area watermain replacement project now complete

Uisce Éireann said "a more secure and reliable" water supply can now be expected in the Altown, Garrycastle, area of Athlone after it completed work to replace more than 450 metres of "aging, cast iron" watermains.

The project also involved laying new water service connections from the new public watermain, and connecting it to the customers’ water supply.

Uisce Éireann announced in late February that the work was about to commence, and in a follow-up statement this week it said the appointed contractor, Shareridge, had now completed the project.

It added that these "essential works" would help to conserve water and reduce high levels of leakage "which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers" in the locality.

Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann, Dave Murphy, said: "Aged water mains and old service connections contribute significantly to water leakage and quality issues.

"The replacement of these deteriorating water mains and service connections will improve the resilience of the network, eliminate existing leaks and substantially reduce the loss of clean drinking water into the ground.

"The works will also improve the operation of the network reducing the need to manage frequent repairs of aging cast iron water mains resulting in a positive impact on leakage and the daily lives of the residents of Altown.

"We are grateful to the residents of Altown for their cooperation in ensuring a more secure and reliable water supply for future generations."