Ballindrait Water Mains Replacement

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Donegal County Council, has replaced old problematic water mains in Ballindrait, Co. Donegal to provide a more reliable water supply and reduce high levels of leakage.

The works involved the replacement of approximately 1043 metres of problematic water mains with high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The programme to replace the water mains in Ballindrait commenced in late August 2020. These works were carried out as part of Uisce Éireann's National Leakage Reduction Programme.

The works also involved 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. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these were replaced as part of this improvement work.

The works were carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Farrans and were completed in October 2020.

A Reliable Water Supply

• Replacement of water mains and service connections will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages and will ensure a reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area.

Reduced Leaks

• Replacement of water mains and service connections will eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.

Improved Operation and Maintenance

• These works will deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future.

• To facilitate the safe delivery of the works, there will be some short-term local road closures and traffic management in place during delivery. The community will be notified of this in advance. Alternative routes will be available and diversions will be clearly sign-posted. Local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.
• The 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 shut offs.
• We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

More information

Residents and businesses in the areas to benefit from the planned improvements have been notified directly and customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project. Uisce Éireann regrets any inconvenience these necessary water network improvements may cause.

Details of any supply interruptions associated to this project will be updated regularly on the Water Supply Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website.

These works are one example of how we are working to reduce leaks everyday. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2019 it was 42% and we are currently on course to achieve a national leakage rate of 38% by 2021.