Uisce Éireann over halfway through ‘critical' repair works on Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare water supply

Irish Independent

17 hours ago

After nine months of planning, water running through the pipeline was turned off late last night to fix five leaks within the underground pipeline that transports a third of the drinking water for the Greater Dublin Area.
'I am happy to advise the works are progressing according to plan,' said Declan Healy, Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann.
'As we speak, specialist crews are within the pipeline and are fixing the leaks.
'We have also carefully cut the damaged section of pipeline and the cranes have removed these pieces.
"The team are now preparing the excavation and shortly, we will commence laying the new pipe sections.'
The large-scale operation involves the removal of 35 metres of pipeline to allow for the installation of a new section of pipe, with crews having just 28 hours from the time the section of pipeline is isolated to complete the work before supplies start being hit.
"Small actions can help maintain everyone's water supply during the critical repair works,' Mr Healy said in appeal to customers to limit their water use while work is underway.
The company said it chose the August Bank Holiday to conduct the repair works because there is typically a lower demand for water at that time.
Mark O'Duffy, Uisce Éireann's infrastructure delivery manager, said called the operation 'the largest water network repair ever undertaken' in the country.
"More than a thousand people have been involved at various different stages over the past few weeks,' he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Uisce Éireann operations and water services staff have been preparing the network across the city and in Kildare and Wicklow, managing storage levels to maximise our strategic storage to move water on the network so that it's optimally prepared for the shutdown.'
Customers in Kildare and South Dublin who are supplied directly by the pipeline will be without water supplies for the duration of the works, but alternative supplies have been arranged with them, Mr O'Duffy said.
The company has ensured that all treated water reservoirs in the greater Dublin area are as full as possible, and is urging customers to limit their water use which it says will help the repair teams to complete their work more quickly.
"For this weekend we are appealing to everyone to act together and only use water for essential needs,' the company's head of water operations Margaret Attridge said.
"Please hold off on filling baths, car washing, power hosing, window washing, filling paddling pools and anything that is not vital.
"Reducing your water use will help maintain or extend water supply during the repairs, for yourself and, importantly, for vulnerable and high-risk users including hospitals and care homes.'
The company's programme manager Declan Healy said it has an 'hour-by-hour programme' by which works will be conducted.
"We have even done dry-runs just to work out all the timings. But with all complex civil engineering projects like this one, things on site can change, and things can go wrong.'
Specialist repair crews will have only 28 hours before water levels become so low that customers will begin to experience inevitable shortages in water supply.
The company has issued advice for the region's 1.7 million customers', including filling a jug with water to store in the fridge and turning off pre-programmed appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines to alleviate water use during the planned pipeline works.