Irish Water, working in partnership with Cork County Council, is replacing 1100m of problematic watermains in Ballydaly which will improve water quality for the community.
The project will commence in mid-May and form part of Irish Water’s National Leakage Reduction Programme. The works, being carried out by Ward and Burke Ltd on behalf of Irish Water, are expected to be completed by the end of July.
The section of works will commence at the junction by Con Murphy’s Stone monument on the Main Ballydaly Road and continue East towards Millstreet, before heading Southbound via the L5170 Road, as far as Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
Welcoming the confirmation by Irish Water, Cllr. O’ Shea said “I have been fighting the case of replacing these mains with Cork County Council and Irish Water over the last twelve months and I am delighted to report that Irish Water has recently approved this scheme”.
Outlining the benefits the mains replacement will bring, Steven Blennerhassett from Irish Water, explained: “Replacing these old and problematic pipes in Millstreet will reduce the drinking water lost by leakage and will bring an all-round improvement to water quality for the local community.
“Two road closures will be required during this project, but we aim to minimise any impact on customers. There may be some short-term water outages and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice beforehand.
“We understand that road works and water outages can be inconvenient, but our crews will make every effort to minimise disruption to local communities as we continue to improve the water supply in Cork and progress the National Leakage Reduction Programme.”
To complete the works in a safe and efficient manner, a road closure is required along the L5169 Road from its junction at Con Murphy’s Stone Monument eastbound as far as the L5170 Road heading towards Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
The suggested eastbound diversion route is to continue southbound via the R582 Road towards Ballydaly village, before taking the L5170 Road northbound at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
A second road closure is required and will take place along the L5170 Road from Our Lady of Lourdes Church northbound to its junction with the L5169 Road, east of Con Murphy’s Stone Monument.
The suggested northbound diversion route is to continue through Ballydaly village along the R582 Road passing Guerin’s Filling Station, before travelling eastbound at the Stone Monument along the L5169 Road.
Cllr. O’ Shea added “I have been very conscious of the hardship residents and businesses in these areas have had to endure over the last 12 months with not knowing if they had water in the tap when they got up in the morning. Confirmation that these pipes will now be replaced is a very welcomed one and I am grateful that Irish Water saw the need to invest in this infrastructure here”.
Irish Water’s customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website or set your location on our website www.water.ie
This project is one example of how Irish Water is working in partnership with Local Authorities to reduce leakage and provide a more reliable water supply. Fixing leaks can be complicated but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was 38%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.
Since 2018, Irish Water has invested over €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the Leakage Reduction Programme. We are investing a further €250 million every year up to the end of 2030 – fixing leaks and replacing pipes to provide a more reliable water supply.
For more information on reducing leaks visit our National Leakage Reduction Programme page.
