Lord Edward Street, Mountmellick Backyard Service Replacement

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Laois County Council, has replaced ageing backyard water mains and provided new service connections for customers in Lord Edward Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois to provide a more reliable water supply, improve water quality and reduce high levels of leakage.

In some older estates water connections, typically made of iron or lead, were installed to the rear of the property and are often referred to as backyard service connections. The pipework due to age and deteriorating condition are a significant source of leakage and reduced levels of service. Backyard services are usually shared, running through a number of neighbouring properties making it difficult to detect and repair leaks. Since all properties share a connection, leaks and bursts affect all properties usually resulting in low pressure.

The works in Lord Edward St. Mountmellick involved the decommissioning of ageing back yard water mains and the delivery of new water mains constructed along the public road.

These works were carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd. on behalf of Uisce Éireann. 

The benefits of the backyard service works include:

• Reliable Water Supply - Replacing the old water mains with new water mains and service connections will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages and will ensure a reliable supply of water to customers in the area

• Reduced Leaks - Replacement of old water mains and service connections in poor condition will eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground.

• Improved Water Quality - Removing existing old cast iron and lead from the water network and replacing them with new modern pipes will reduce the risk of contamination.

• Improved Operation and Maintenance - These works will deliver efficiencies including cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future.

A survey was required at each property within this community. The individual survey was undertaken to assess the current water connection arrangement for that property and discuss the best way to connect the new service to the customers home.

Customers to benefit from these improvement works were contacted directly by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd. to provide information about the required works and to discuss a suitable time to carry out an individual survey.

The works involved some short-term water outages and the project team ensured that customers are given a minimum of 48-hours notice prior to any planned water outages. Where water mains were constructed traffic management was in place during this time. Local and emergency traffic were maintained at all times.

We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews made every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

Residents and businesses in the areas to benefit from the planned improvements have been notified directly.

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

Customers can phone Uisce Éireann on 1800 278 278 if they have any questions about the project.