New and improved water supply for Ros Suilighe, Old Town

The residents of Ros Suilighe, Old Town, in Donegal, will begin to see Uisce Éireann crews busy working to improve their water supply, as the utility gears up to begin replacing more than 900 metres of old backyard services and ageing water mains.

In some older estates, water connections typically made of iron or lead, were installed to the rear of the property, and are often referred to as backyard service connections. The pipework due to age and deteriorating condition are a significant source of leakage and reduced levels of service.

Backyard services are usually shared, running through several neighbouring properties making it difficult to detect and repair leaks. Since all properties share a connection, leaks and bursts affect all properties usually resulting in low pressure.

Speaking about the works, Uisce Éireann's National Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead Declan Cawley said: "These essential works will benefit customers in Ros Suilighe, Old Town by replacing ageing water mains with new and improved pipes, which will strengthen and reinforce the water network. The immediate impact of this work will see an improvement to water supply in the area with reduced leakage rates and unplanned interruptions when bursts occur.

"Upon completion, there will be significant improvements in the network performance and levels of customer service in this area in terms of efficiency and security of supply."

In order to complete the works, a survey is required at each property within this community. The individual survey is undertaken to assess the current water connection arrangement for that property and discuss the best way to connect the new service to the customer's home. Farrans Construction will deliver the project on behalf of Uisce Éireann.

Customers to benefit from these improvement works will be contacted directly by Farrans Construction to provide information about the required works and to discuss a suitable time to carry out an individual survey. 

Declan added: "This work is part of a significant investment by Uisce Éireann to upgrade the water network in Donegal and we would like to thank customers in advance for their cooperation and patience while we complete this essential job."

The works may involve some short-term water interruptions and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48-hours' notice prior to any planned water interruptions. Where water mains are being constructed traffic management may be in place during this time however local and emergency traffic will be maintained. The works will be completed by the end of December.

We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

Uisce Éireann'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 or set your location on our website.

Uisce Éireann has invested over €500 million between 2017 and 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the public water network. We are investing a further € 250 million every year up to the end of 2030. Fixing leaks can be complicated but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2021 it was reduced to 38%. We are on track to achieve a national leakage rate of 25% by the end of 2030.

Uisce Éireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.