People in parts of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow face disruptions to their water supply over the August bank holiday weekend. The shortages will be caused by “critical” Uisce Éireann repairs to a pipeline that supplies a third of the greater Dublin area’s drinking water.
Interruptions may include low water pressure, discoloured water or water outages. Customers are advised to ensure they have enough drinking water, to turn off all pre-programmed appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, and to ensure all taps are turned off before and during the planned supply disruption.
Disruptions will particularly apply to Kildare. Households in Kill, Arthurstown, Rathmore, Athgoe and Tipperkevin will experience an interruption to water supply from 10pm on Friday to 3am on Sunday. This will be a direct result of the “major” pipeline being drained to facilitate the works.
An Uisce Éireann spokesman said additional water supplies will be provided at Rathmore National School and Kill Equestrian Centre in Newtown.
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Customers in Dublin and parts of Wicklow could also experience disturbances to their water supply during the repair period.
Uisce Éireann said it is carrying out “critical and complex” repairs to the pipeline that connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir. It has identified several sections that are at risk of failing and several leaks.
The national water utility said it has ensured all treated water reservoirs in the greater Dublin are are “as full as possible”. It said most homes and businesses have on-site water storage as a back-up water source for sanitation purposes.
Uisce Éireann has called on members of the public to reduce their water use over the weekend to “help maintain or extend water supply during the repairs, for yourself, and, importantly, for vulnerable and high-risk users including hospitals and care homes”.
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People are asked to refrain from “filling baths, car washing, power hosing, window washing, filling paddling pools and anything that is not vital”.
Declan Healy, programme manager at Uisce Éireann, said specialist teams will repair five leaks and replace a damaged section of pipeline. To do this, the water flowing through the pipe will be turned off temporarily and the pipeline will be drained.
“Draining the pipe will allow specialist crews to go inside the pipeline to repair five active leaks using bespoke methods. Another specialist team will remove 35 metres of degraded pipeline and install a new section of pipeline,” he added.
Uisce Éireann’s head of water operations, Margaret Attridge, said the specialist repair crews have a “very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water”. This is because the pipeline can only be shut down for up to 28 hours before water storage levels become too low, which could lead to widespread disruption, she said.
