Leitrim Village leak reduction works save enough water to supply village twice over

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section.

Leakage reduction works carried out by Uisce Éireann in Leitrim Village have saved 172,000 litres of drinking water which was previously being lost to leakage in the water system on a daily basis.

As part of their national Leak Reduction Programme (LRP), Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Leitrim County Council, recognised that the public water supply in Leitrim Village and the surrounding areas, serving 372 individual connections across 6.5km of water network, was subject to a high level of leakage with approximately 300,000 litres of drinking water being lost to leaks every day.

Uisce Éireann, working with their regional contractor Farrans and Larsen Water Management, carried out an extensive review of the network under the Find & Fix scheme. Find & Fix involves leak detection crews undertaking surveys using multiple technologies, including sounding equipment, to locate leaks on our water network.

Following completion of the repair works on 11 leak locations, the amount of clean drinking water being lost through leakage was more than halved, which represented a saving of 172,000 litres of water every day. The water saved is enough to meet the daily water needs of approximately 1,300 people, almost twice the population of Leitrim Village.

The repairs and leakage reduction will provide residents and business owners of the village with a more reliable and secure water supply.

Speaking about the success of the repairs, Patricia Lowry, Programme Manager with Uisce Éireann, said: “Carrying out these works under the national Leakage Reduction Programme, resulting in over 50% reduction in leakage, will greatly benefit the community in Leitrim Village and ensure a sustainable water supply for current and future generations."

“I would like to thank the local community, businesses, homeowners and commuters for their patience and cooperation as we continue to deliver vital network improvement works across Leitrim to helping safeguard the county’s water supply,” Patricia continued.

Peadar Griffin, Asset Operations Lead with Uisce Éireann, added: “As a result of the collaboration between Leitrim County Council and Uisce Éireann, customers in Leitrim Village are enjoying a more secure and reliable water supply."

“We were losing valuable clean drinking water underground and water is precious, so to have fixed the leaks and improved the network is a great win.”

Identifying and repairing these leaks will help Uisce Éireann achieve its 2030 goal of a national leakage rate of 25%. The national leakage reduction team has made great strides since 2018, when the leakage rate stood at 46%.

Since 2018, Uisce Éireann has invested more than €500 million to upgrade the underground water network across the country through the delivery of the national Leakage Reduction Programme. Uisce Éireann 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, please visit our Leak Reduction page.