22 September 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Irish Water, working in partnership with Cork City Council, is progressing the upgrade of the Shanakiel Watermain as 1.85km of pipes between Lee Road Water Treatment Plant and Shanakiel and Harbour View Reservoirs are to be replaced. The project also involves the construction of two new pumping stations at the Shanakiel reservoir site and adjacent to the Harbour View Road reservoir site.
Outlining the benefits the project, Sean Twohig from Irish Water, explained: “This is the last of the three projects to commence as part of the Cork City Water Supply Scheme. Together the three projects will increase the security of drinking water supply, reduce leakage, increase capacity and enable growth and development of the city. They will also result in improved energy efficiency across the city’s water treatment plants and networks.
“This significant investment involves the construction of additional strategic watermains, replacement of existing watermains and construction of two new pumping stations supplying drinking water from the Lee Road Water Treatment Plant.
“The third and final part of the Cork City Water Supply Scheme, upgrading of the Shanakiel Watermains, will help safeguard the water supply for the people and businesses on the north side of Cork city.”
The works on the Shanakiel Watermains Upgrades are being delivered by Farrans Construction on behalf of Irish Water, and are expected to be completed by 2023.
The Cork City Water Supply Scheme is another example of how Irish Water is working in partnership with Local Authorities to provide a more reliable water supply and reduce leakage. Fixing leaks can be complicated but Irish Water are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2020 it was reduced to 40%. We are currently on course to achieve a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021.
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
Irish Water continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Irish Water would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.