Irish Water to replace Offaly water mains next week

A new replacement of ageing water mains that are prone to burst will commence on Monday next in Geashill and Rhode.

Irish Water said it is working in partnership with Offaly County Council to replace the water main and to provide a more reliable water supply for all customers.

This project will involve the replacement of the existing old and damaged public water main and the introduction of a new, modern high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The works will also see the replacement of old damaged service connections. These are the water pipes which join Irish Water’s public main to a customer’s property. The project is also expected to greatly reduce leakage in the network.

These works will be carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd on behalf of Irish Water and are expected to take approximately eight weeks to complete. Some 2 kilometres of water mains will be replaced in Geashill and 1.9kms in Rhode.

The works may involve some short-term water shut offs but the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs. Traffic management will be in place for the duration of the works. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.

Commenting on the works, Georgina O’Reilly, Regional Lead – Water Network Programme said the existing public water mains in Geashill and in Rhode on the R400 had experienced bursts over the years resulting in a number of water outages for local residents and businesses.

“Replacing the ageing water mains with a new modern pipe will provide a long term solution to ensure a safe and secure water supply is delivered to customers.”

Details of work in the area will be updated regularly on the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-and-service-update/