Water supply returning to normal for North Dublin residents after overnight works

Works to repair the trunk main supplying water to Swords, Santry, Malahide, Portmarnock, Kinsealy, Lissenhall, Donabate, Portrane, Clarehall, Malahide Road, Donaghmede, and surrounding areas is continuing this morning.

Homes and businesses in Dublin will continue to experience reduced pressure, discolouration or an intermittent loss to their water supply, but every effort is being made to return a normal supply as quickly as possible. 

The following areas will see water outages continue, likely for the duration of these works:

• Coachmans, Royal Oak and the Airways industrial estate in Santry,
• Baskin in Kinsealy,
• Forest Little in Swords

Customers in Malahide and Portmarnock may also experience water interruptions as the reservoir levels recover.

Crews continue to work on the repair which started late last night, The works are expected to be completed later today. A further update will be given this afternoon.
Uisce Éireann’s Stephen Burke assured customers that every effort is being made to restore water as quickly as possible. 

“We understand the inconvenience of reduced pressure, discolouration, and in some cases loss of supply and we thank customers for their support while our works are ongoing. This is an extremely difficult repair, our crews started work last night and repairs are ongoing. We are working to restore supplies as quickly as possible.” 

Alternate water supplies will remain in place at:

• Seaview Park, Portrane
• Island View, Malahide
• St. Finian’s Catholic Church, Swords South 
• St. Colmcille’s GAA Club, Swords North 
• Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club
• Santry Park

Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and, as a precaution, boil the water before drinking. 

As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Uisce Éireann advises customers to familiarise themselves with their storage capacity.  

Uisce Éireann is committed to keeping customers informed across multiple platforms 24/7 and we encourage customers to engage with us through our website, X channels @IWCare and @IrishWater, on Facebook and LinkedIn and through our customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. 

Uisce Éireann has launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number on our Water Service Updates registration page.

Uisce Éireann would like to remind customers that it is progressing critical works to repair a major water main that supplies drinking water to Swords, Santry, Malahide, Portmarnock, Kinsealy, Lissenhall, Donabate, Portrane, Clarehall, Malahide Road, Donaghmede and surrounding areas.

The majority of households and businesses will experience reduced pressure, and in some cases intermittent discolouration however the following areas will see water outages, likely for the duration of these works.

• Coachmans, Royal Oak and the Airways industrial estate in Santry, 
• Baskin in Kinsealy,
• Forest Little in Swords 

View interactive map of affected area.

These essential works are necessary to repair a leak on a section of the pipeline that is under threat of complete rupture. A burst on this pipeline would result in unplanned and widespread water outages across North County Dublin.

Speaking about the critical nature of these works, Stephen Burke, Uisce Éireann, Regional Operations Manager commented: “A specialist team is ready to carry out these complex and essential repairs tonight. Contingency planning is ongoing, and the repair will commence at 9pm with the team working throughout the night. It is expected that pressures will start to return to normal from Saturday evening, 26 October.

“We are carrying out the works over the weekend, and at night to minimise the impact on schools, businesses and the local community. We have reached out to vulnerable customers and stakeholders that could be affected by the works. Our aim is to return normal supplies as quickly as possible.”

While supplies are expected to return Saturday evening, those on higher ground or at the end of the network may experience disruption or an intermittent supply for a number of hours. An update on the repair will be given tomorrow Saturday 26 October as it progresses.

As supplies return to normal customers may experience discolouration to their supply as a result of the repairs. In the event of discolouration, running the tap for several minutes will usually restore water to a clear colour. For more information, please customers can visit the Discoloured water section of our website.

Customers who experience intermittent loss to supply can access alternative water supplies at the following locations:

• Seaview Park, Portrane
• Island View, Malahide
• St. Finian’s Catholic Church, Swords South 
• St. Colmcille’s GAA Club, Swords North 
• Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club
• Santry Park

Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and, as a precaution, boil the water before drinking. As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Uisce Éireann advises customers to familiarise themselves with their storage capacity and conserve water during the repairs.

Uisce Éireann acknowledges the inconvenience caused by these works and thanks the communities in North Dublin for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these essential works. There will be no disruption to traffic.

The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of our website.

Uisce Éireann has launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number here.

Customers in parts of North County Dublin may experience supply disruption on Friday, 25 October and Saturday, 26 October

Uisce Éireann is progressing a critical works to repair a major water main that supplies drinking water to Swords, Santry, Malahide, Portmarnock, Kinsealy, Lissenhall, Donabate, Portrane, Clarehall Malahide Road, Donaghmede and surrounding areas.

The repair will result in reduced pressure to these areas, and in some cases intermittent discolouration or loss of supply. These works are essential to mend a major leak we identified; the water main is likely to completely rupture if not fixed immediately. A rupture on this main would result in unplanned and widespread water outages impacting large areas of North County Dublin.

To avoid major disruption to homes and businesses the repair works will commence on Friday 25 October at 9pm. Due to the size of this pipeline and complexity of the works, specialist teams will work through the night to complete the repair and restore normal water supply as quickly as possible on Saturday 26 October. It’s expected the pressure will start to return to normal around lunchtime, however it may take between 6 - 12 hours for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.

View interactive map of affected area.

Alternative water supplies will be available in affected areas for the duration of the outage.

Speaking about the critical nature of the project, Stephen Burke, Uisce Éireann, commented: “This section of water main is leaking approximately one million litres of water per day, equivalent to three swimming pools, and is at risk of bursting and causing major disruption for customers, unless repair works are carried out imminently. This is a complex and challenging project due to the size, and location of the pipe.

“Extensive preparation has taken place to enable us to carry out these works and minimise impact on water supplies including the provision of water tankers. Our dedicated teams are in the process of contacting vulnerable customers and other stakeholders that will be impacted by this critical repair. The works are taking place over the weekend and at night to reduce the impact that this will have on families and businesses across North Dublin.”

Given the location of the repair there won’t be any traffic disruption. Uisce Éireann acknowledges the inconvenience caused by these essential repairs and thanks the communities across North Dublin for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these emergency repair works.

Customers who experience intermittent loss to supply can access alternative water supplies at the following locations:

• Seaview Park Portrane
• Island View Malahide
• St. Finian’s Catholic Church, Swords South
• St. Colmcille’s GAA Club, Swords North 
• Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club
   

Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and, as a precaution, boil the water before drinking.

As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Uisce Éireann advises customers to familiarise themselves with their storage capacity.

The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of our website.

Uisce Éireann has launched a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number here.