A major drinking water pipeline in the greater Dublin area is to be turned off over the coming August Bank Holiday weekend to enable critical and complex repair works to be undertaken.
Uisce Éirerann says the remedial work is essential to prevent a major pipe-burst that could take weeks to repair if it happened, and impact 1.7 million people.
The pipeline connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant with the Saggart Reservoir and supplies one third of the greater Dublin area.
The work involves fixing five leaks in the watermains as well as replacing a damaged 35 metre section of pipeline.
Enabling this requires the water flowing through the pipe to be turned off temporarily and the pipeline to be drained.
Uisce Éireann says it will be the largest ever planned watermains repair job undertaken in the greater Dublin Area.
It warns that it is possible that water supply to its customers in Dublin and parts of Wicklow and Kildare could be interrupted over the bank holiday weekend because of the work being carried out.
It is clear however, that 943 customers in Kill, Arthurstown, Rathmore, Athgoe and Tipperkevin will definitely experience disruptions to their drinking water supply over the coming weekend.
Uisce Éireann says that alternative water supplies will be provided for people living in those areas.
Uisce Éireann released a map showing areas where supply may be disrupted
Appeal to conserve water
It is issuing a major appeal to customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to conserve water to help maintain everyone’s water supply during these essential repair works.
Uisce Éireann says it has been extensively planning and preparing for carrying out these complex works over the last nine months and has ensured all treated water reservoirs in the greater Dublin area are now as full as possible.
Nevertheless, it says there is still a risk customers in Dublin, Wicklow and parts of Kildare may possibly experience interruptions to their water supply including low pressure, discoloured water, or water outages.
Margaret Attridge, head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann said: “This major pipeline can only be shut down for up to 28 hours before the water storage levels become too low, which could lead to widespread supply disruption.
“Therefore, the specialist repair crews have a very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water. We will work through the day and night this weekend to complete these essential works as quickly and safely as possible.
“We are asking for the public’s help to minimise the impact of this operation; for this weekend we are asking everyone to act together and only use water for essential needs.
“Please hold off on filling baths, car washing, power hosing, window washing, filling paddling pools and anything that is not vital. Reducing your water use will help maintain or extend water supply during the repairs, for yourself and, importantly, for vulnerable and high-risk users including hospitals and care homes.”
The repair’s progress will be monitored closely and Uisce Éireann says it will keep customers updated as early as possible on the locations and duration of any prolonged impacts including supply disruptions, should they develop.
It warned that following this type of work, occasionally issues such as cloudy water caused by air bubbles, or internal airlocks may arise.
For advice on how to resolve these issues, it says people should visit its website.