Eight weeks of water works to start in Portlaoise

Irish Water will start replacing three quarters of a kilometre of old water mains in Portlaoise next week with work continuing to mid October. 

Working in partnership with Laois County Council, Irish Water is replacing over 750 metres of old and damaged water mains at Marian Avenue, Portlaoise with new modern pipes. The section of works will take place at Marian Avenue Estate, just off the Old Knockmay Road.

Irish Water says replacing these old, damaged pipes with new, modern pipework will greatly improve water quality and reduce the instances of bursts, outages, and low-pressure affecting customers in the area. The project, is due to begin next week.

Regional Delivery Lead at Irish Water Joe Carroll said:  “We are delighted to announce this major investment for Laois. Replacing these old and damaged pipes is a first step in tackling water quality, pressure and leakage issues which have been affecting homes and businesses.”

According to Mr Carroll: “The works will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage but will also significantly improve water quality for the local community as well as delivering a much more reliable supply for generations to come.”

He said:“On behalf of Irish Water, I would like to thank the local community in Portlaoise in advance for their patience and cooperation as traffic management will be necessary as the project progresses, however, based on previous experiences, we know that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits.”

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Irish Water stated that: “The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply. The project may involve some short-term supply interruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience, however, the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions.”

They said: “To minimise the impact on the local community, we are delivering these works on a phased basis with areas of work limited to short sections. Traffic management will be in place during this time in the form of a stop/go traffic management system. Local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times.”

Irish Water said the project is being carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd on behalf of Irish Water and is expected to be completed by mid-October 2022. It says the company is on track to reduce the rate of leakage nationally from 46% in 2018 to 25% by the end of 2030.  

The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact Irish Water on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.