Uisce Éireann driving down Donegal’s leakage

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Uisce Éireann customers in the Castlefinn and Liscooly areas of Donegal are enjoying a more secure and reliable water supply after the recent completion of works to replace 4.3km of watermains in the area.

The works, which were carried out as part Uisce Éireann’s national Leakage Reduction Programme saw two sections of aging water mains replaced at locations along the N15 between Castlefinn and Liscooly and on the L6224 Hill Head Road, from the N15 junction to the Castlefinn service reservoir.

In response to high rates of leakage from the existing mains at these locations, an extensive review of the network was carried out under the Water Mains Rehab Programme, which allowed Uisce Éireann crews to locate the source of the leakage and plan repair works. Leak detection crews undertook surveys using multiple technologies, including sounding equipment, to locate the leaks.

The replacement works commenced in the summer of 2023 and were carried out in planned phases to minimise the disruption to traffic flow and to reduce the inconvenience caused to local residents. The works were carried out by Farrans Construction on behalf of Uisce Éireann.

The replacement of old cast iron mains has the effect of not only significantly reducing the volume of drinking water lost underground through leakage, but also improving the quality of water being delivered to customers’ taps for domestic use.

The completion of these works will ensure a more secure and reliable water supply for the communities of Castlefinn and Liscooly and will also deliver long-term cost savings by improving water network operations, reducing the amount of repair and maintenance required on the system going forward.

Patricia Lowry, Programme Manager with Uisce Éireann, thanked the local communities for their cooperation while these essential works were underway.

“As a result of these leakage reduction works, customers in Castlefinn and Liscooly and the surrounding areas, are enjoying a more secure and reliable water supply,” said Patricia.
“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 result.”

The Castlefinn-Liscooly project formed part of Uisce Eireann's National Leakage Reduction Programme and will help the utility to 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 is 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.