11 September 2020
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Irish Water, working in partnership with Cork City Council, is replacing approximately 1km of problematic water mains to tackle the high levels of water leakage in Rathpeacon and improve the reliability of water supply in the area.
These works will commence on Monday, 14 September 2020 and are part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme. The works will be carried out by Coffey Northumbrian Ltd. in partnership with Cork City Council on behalf of Irish Water, and are expected to be complete in 6 weeks.
The section of works will take place from approximately 240m north of the entrance to Farm Power Ltd. on the Old Mallow Road to approximately 125m before the railway viaduct over the Old Mallow Road. Old, damaged pipes will be replaced with modern, polyethylene (plastic) pipes.
The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. Where existing service connections on the public side are lead, these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.
This work is being carried out as part of Irish Water’s Leakage Reduction Programme, which will see €500m invested nationally to tackle problematic pipes and leakage in Ireland’s ageing water network.
“Irish Water would like to thank the local community, businesses, homeowners and commuters for their patience and cooperation while we deliver this vital water network improvement project in Rathpeacon.” said Steven Blennerhassett, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead, Irish Water.
“Replacing the old, damaged pipes will safeguard water supply in the area. The new water mains and service connections will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages.These improvements to the water network are essential in providing a safe, secure and reliable water supply, now and into the future.”
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 notice prior to any planned water shut offs. Where water mains are being constructed, traffic management may be in place during this time. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.
For more information, please visit National Leakage Reduction Programme. https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/national-projects/leakage-reduction-programme/
Background
This project forms part of Irish Water’s investment plan. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5 billion investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021.
This plan includes an investment in leakage reduction and water quality initiatives, called the Leakage Reduction Programme, which will see an investment of €512 million during the period to 2021. These works are vital to ensuring a clean, safe and reliable public water supply to support our growing population and economy.
