Irish Water says a major project set to get underway next week on Letterkenny’s High Road will help drive down leakage and reduce the number of bursts and unplanned interruptions.
The works will see High Road partially closed to traffic until the middle of February.
Irish Water and Donegal County Council are replacing 250 metres of ageing water mains along High Road in Letterkenny.
This comes on foot of works recently completed along Church Lane, which saw approximately 200m of old water mains replaced.
An Irish Water spokesperson says they are targeting the areas that need leakage reduction works the most, and High Road in Letterkenny is susceptible to frequent bursts.
He says by replacing this stretch of pipeline we will give local homes and businesses a more reliable supply of water, eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.
These works will take place along High Road from the New Line Road junction to the Port Road Junction.
The works were initially scheduled to begin last August, but local businesses successfully called for that to be deferred, saying they could not afford the inevitable hit to their businesses during the peak summer season.
Release in full –
Uisce Éireann driving down leakage across Donegal with more upgrades on the horizon for Letterkenny
Friday, 6 January 2023 – Safeguarding the water supply in Donegal is a vital focus for Uisce Éireann with further works planned in Letterkenny as part of its programme to drive down leakage and reduce the number of bursts and unplanned interruptions impacting the County.
Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Donegal County Council, is replacing 250 metres of ageing water mains along High Road, Letterkenny to provide a more reliable water supply, and reduce the amount of treated drinking water lost to leakage. This comes on foot of works recently completed along Church Lane, Letterkenny which saw approximately 200m of old water mains replaced, providing for a more reliable water supply.
The works, which are due to begin in early January, are a critical step in conserving our precious resource and reducing high levels of leakage which have been a significant source of disruption and outages for customers.
Speaking about the benefits of the project, Declan Cawley, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann, said: “We are working with Donegal County Council to target the areas that need leakage reduction works the most and High Road in Letterkenny is susceptible to frequent bursts. By replacing this stretch of pipeline we will give local homes and businesses a more reliable supply of water, eliminate existing leaks and significantly reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground. We would like to thank our customers along High Road for working with us to provide a more secure and reliable water supply for generations to come.”
These works will be carried out by Farrans Construction in partnership with Donegal County Council on behalf of Uisce Éireann and are due to be completed by the end of February 2023. The works will take place along High Road (L1005), from the New Line Road junction to the Port Road Junction.
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. Since 2018, its delivery represents an investment of over €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the Leakage Reduction Programme. Uisce Éireann is also investing a further €250 million annually up to the end of 2030 directed at fixing leaks and replacing pipes to provide a more reliable water supply.
To find out more about Uisce Éireann’s national programme of works to reduce leakage and improve Ireland’s water supply visit our Leakage Reduction Programme Page www.water.ie/
