SERVICES
A safer, more reliable water supply on the horizon for Newbliss, Monaghan as ageing water mains set for replacement
Thursday, 7 October 2021 – Irish Water, working in partnership with Monaghan County Council, is replacing over 3.2 km of damaged, old water mains in Newbliss, Co Monaghan to provide a more safe and secure water supply for customers in the local community. The works will also reduce the high level of leakage and improve water quality. As part of the project, the ageing water mains are being replaced with new high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes.
Outlining the benefits of these works Declan Cawley, Irish Water, explained: “These essential works will benefit customers in Newbliss by replacing ageing water mains with new and improved plastic pipes, which will strengthen and reinforce the water network. The immediate impact of this work will see an improvement to water supply in the area as well as minimising disruptions in the customers water supply by reducing leakage and improving water quality.
“Upon completion, there will be significant improvements in the network performance and levels of customer service in this area in terms of efficiency and security of supply.”
The works are scheduled to commence in the coming days and will take place along the R183 from Newbliss to Kileevan and onto St Livious Church. Works will also take place along the L2152 and the L21521. The works are due for completion in January 2022. Farrans Construction Ltd are contracted to carry out the work on behalf of Irish Water.
This project is one example of how Irish Water is working in partnership with Monaghan County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000km of water pipe in Ireland. Most leaks aren’t visible, resulting in precious water being lost but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2019 it was 42%, it had reduced further to 40% at the end of 2020 and we are currently on course to achieving a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021.
Declan added: “To facilitate the safe delivery of the works, there will be some traffic management in place however local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.
“The works may involve some short-term water outages and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water outages. We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.
“This mains replacement work is part of a significant investment by Irish Water to upgrade the water network in Monaghan and we would like to thank customers in advance for their cooperation and patience while we complete this essential job.”
Customers can phone Irish Water on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project or check out the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website for regular updates.
The National Leakage Reduction Programme helps provide a more reliable water supply to Irish communities by reducing high levels of leakage and improving water quality. Its delivery represents an investment of over €500 million between 2017 and the end of 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the water network.
Irish Water continues to work at this time 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.
For more information on reducing leaks visit our national Leakage Reduction Programme page on www.water.ie.