Uisce Éireann is progressing with back yard service works to safeguard the water supply to homes and businesses in Templemichael and Bannon Terrace

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Longford County Council, will be commencing works in early December in Templemichael and Bannon Terrace to safeguard the water supply to homes and businesses in the area. The delivery of these essential works will provide a safer, more secure water supply for the area minimising the frequency of bursts and improving the resilience of the network.

The works will involve the construction of 420 metres of new watermains along the rear access lane to Templemichael and Bannon Terrace and the laying of new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers' property boundaries and connecting it to the customer's water supply. The new water mains will be made with modern high-density polyethylene (plastic) pipes to ensure a safer, more reliable supply of water to customers in the area. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.

Works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours' notice prior to any planned water outage.

In order to safely facilitate the delivery of the works traffic management will be in place. Local and emergency will be maintained at all times. The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by GMC Utilities Ltd.

Speaking about the project, Matt Thompson, Uisce Éireann said, "We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these works may cause. We would like to thank the local community, businesses and homeowners for their patience and cooperation while we deliver this essential water network improvement project safeguarding the water supply for homes and businesses in Templemichael and Bannon Terrace."

This project is one example of how Uisce Éireann is working in partnership with Longford County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000km of water pipe but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2019 it was 42% and we are currently on course to achieving a national leakage rate of 38% by 2021.

The National Leakage Reduction Programme helps provide a more reliable water supply to Irish communities by reducing high levels of leakage and improving water quality. Its delivery represents an investment of over €500 million between 2017 and 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the water network.

Uisce Éireann is working at this time, with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Uisce Éireann would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.

Uisce Éireann is working proactively with our delivery partners and as part of a multi-agency working group to ensure that our construction works are carried out in a controlled and safe manner, in keeping with Government and HSE guidelines to protect workers, their families and the broader community.

Uisce Éireann and Longford County Council regrets any inconvenience caused. Our 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 visit the Supply and Service Updates section.