Irish Water replacing ageing water mains in Longford

Irish Water, working in partnership with Longford County Council is replacing ageing water mains in Longford to provide a more reliable water supply for customers.

600 metres of ageing water mains that were prone to bursts have been replaced in Corbaun and work is underway to replace 720 metres of ageing water mains in Smear Hill.

Final reinstatement work in Corbaun will be completed this week. The project in Smear Hill started this week and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

These projects involve the replacement of existing old and damaged public water mains and replacing it high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The works will also see the replacement of old damaged service connections. 

These are the water pipes which join Irish Water’s public main to a customer’s property. The benefits of the project include a more reliable and secure water supply, improved water quality and reducing leakage in the network, while also allowing for future development in the town and surrounding areas. The project will also deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future. GMC are carrying out the projects in Longford on behalf of Irish Water.

Commenting on the works, Derek Deignan Regional Lead – Water Network Programme said “The ageing water mains in Corbaun and Smear Hill have experienced bursts over the years resulting in a number of water outages for local residents and businesses and impacting the reliability of the water supply . Replacing the ageing water mains with a new modern pipe will provide a long term solution to ensure a safe and secure water supply is delivered to customers. This project is part of Irish Water’s commitment to invest in Ireland’s water infrastructure which has been under-invested in for decades."

These works are being carried out as part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme. As part of this programme Irish Water is investing over €500 million over the next four years to reduce leakage and remove old damaged pipes from the public water network. This will help to ensure that we have a clean, safe and reliable public water supply now and into the future to support our growing population and economy. Residents and businesses in the area of the works have been notified and customers can phone Irish Water on call save 1850 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.

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