Irish Water has confirmed that work will get underway shortly to upgrade the water supply network in Ballydesmond following the appointment of a contractor to lay new watermains.
This will result in a marked improvement in the quality of water supplied to residents and businesses in Ballydesmond and the surrounding areas. This area has had historic issues with water discolouration due to the presence of manganese in the water source. There have also been regular supply outages caused by bursts in the old water mains. By decommissioning the existing supply and installing new watermains to connect to the Ballinatona Public Water Supply, we will address both of these problems and provide a more secure, reliable and better quality water supply in the area.
In total 9km of watermain will be laid between Ballydesmond Village and Ballinatona Public Water Supply at Dromskarragh Beg.
Following a competitive tendering process, Healy Rae Plant Hire (HRPH) Ltd have been appointed to carry out the watermain works. Site Investigation work will get underway in the coming weeks with the substantial construction work due to start this summer. This work will start in Ballydesmond village itself in order to facilitate Cork County Council’s planned roadworks in the area.
Negotiations are also ongoing to acquire a suitable site for a new reservoir to supply the villages. A new pumping station will be installed at Kiskeam, which will be configured to supply water to the villages in the interim, while the work to install the reservoir is being progressed.
Paul Cremin, Regional Capital Programmes Lead with Irish Water commented: “We are delighted to be in a position to begin construction work on this essential project for Ballydesmond. People in the area have experienced regular supply outages due to the age and poor condition of the existing watermains network in the area. In addition to this, there have been long-standing issues with discolouration of the water due to the presence of manganese in the source that serves the village at present.
“This project will address both of these issues, leading to a much more reliable and better quality water supply for the community and providing the capacity for future growth and development.”
While these works are underway, Irish Water will work with the contractor to minimise any disruption to road users, residents and businesses in the area. The work sections will be limited to short sections and traffic management arrangements will be put in place to minimise any impact on customers. The works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs. Customers can contact the Irish Water call centre on 1850 278 278 if they have any queries.
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