Uisce Éireann to progress critical repair work to secure drinking water supply for the Greater Dublin Area

Uisce Éireann is progressing a critical project to repair a major water main that connects the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir and which supplies about one third of the drinking water for the Greater Dublin Area.

Customers in Dublin and parts of Kildare and Wicklow (see attached map) may experience interruptions to their water supply including low pressure, discoloured water, or water outages on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th August 2024. Uisce Éireann will work to minimise the impact to customers while carrying out the repair works.

These essential works are necessary to repair a section of the pipeline that is likely to burst if not fixed. A burst on this pipeline would result in unplanned and widespread water outages that could take weeks to repair and affect up to 1.7 million people.

Ballymore Eustace is Ireland’s largest Water Treatment Plant and Saggart Reservoir is a newly upgraded reservoir to store drinking water. The Dublin area is heavily dependent on this large pipeline which carries 220 million litres of water each day (80 Olympic swimming pools). It supplies about one third of the GDA’s drinking water. The pipe is over 25km long and is about the same height as an average adult.

Uisce Éireann carried out a survey using innovative technology which identified parts of the pipeline that need repair to ensure it continues to supply the Greater Dublin Area with water.

Speaking about the critical nature of the project for securing the Dublin area’s water supply, Mark O’Duffy, Uisce Éireann, commented: “Uisce Éireann has identified that this section of water main is at risk of bursting and causing major disruption for customers, unless repair works are carried out. This is a complex and challenging project due to the size, age and location of the pipe. Extensive planning and preparation has taken place in advance to enable us to carry out these works and minimise impact on water supplies. Specialist teams will work as quickly as possible through the night and day to complete the repairs and restore normal water supply. However, there may be a risk of supply interruptions while this work is being carried out and for a period of time afterwards”.

Mark added: “We are appealing to customers in the Greater Dublin Area to conserve water to help maintain everyone’s water supply during the critical repair works. The water running through this major pipeline will be turned off during this time. Uisce Éireann has prepared for this by ensuring all of our reservoirs in the area are as full as possible. However, customers can play their part, and help to avoid water outages for themselves and others, by using less water.”

“We will aim to keep customers updated and informed of any potential supply disruptions while we carry out these essential repair works.

Uisce Éireann acknowledges the inconvenience caused by interruptions to water supply and thanks communities for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these essential works.”

The situation on the ground will be monitored closely. Uisce Éireann will inform customers as early as possible of the location and duration of any prolonged impacts.

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.

Following this type of work, occasionally issues such as cloudy water (air bubbles) or internal airlocks may arise. For advice on how to resolve these issues, please visit our Issues during or after an outage page.

The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is also 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 or visit our dedicated project page.

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.