Largest planned mains repair to date due to take place to secure the water supply in Kildare

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section

Uisce Éireann is carrying out critical and complex repair works to a major pipeline that connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir over the August Bank Holiday Weekend. This is a major pipeline that supplies one third of the Greater Dublin Area’s (GDA) drinking water.

We have identified sections of the pipeline that are at risk of failing which could lead to a prolonged outage if not addressed. We have also identified several leaks which we will address during the works.

To facilitate these critical repair works, customers in Kill, Arthurstown, Rathmore, Athgoe and Tipperkevin will be impacted by a water outage from 10pm Friday 1st August to 3am Sunday 3rd August. Alternative water supplies will be provided.

Customers in other parts of Kildare may possibly experience interruptions to their water supply including low pressure, discoloured water, or water outages. We are making a major appeal to customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to conserve water during these essential repair works.

Regional Operations Manager at Uisce Éireann, Stephen Burke, said: “This major pipeline can only be shut down for up to 28 hours before the water storage levels become too low, which could lead to widespread supply disruption. Therefore, the specialist repair crews have a very tight deadline to finish the repairs and refill the pipeline with water. We will work through the day and night this weekend to complete these essential works as quickly and safely as possible.

"We acknowledge the inconvenience caused by the interruptions to water supply and thank the communities in North Kildare for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these essential works."

Customers who experience intermittent loss to supply can access alternative water supplies at the following locations:

• Rathmore National School W91 VK46
• Kill Equestrian Centre, Newtown

Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and, as a precaution, boil the water before drinking.

As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Uisce Éireann advises customers to familiarise themselves with their storage capacity.

Declan Healy, Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann, explained the complexity of the works. “We have extensively planned and prepared for carrying out these complex works over the last 9 months.

“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 will 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.”

The repair's progress will be monitored closely and Uisce Éireann will keep customers updated as early as possible on the location(s) and duration of any prolonged impacts including supply disruptions, should they develop.

Following this type of work, occasionally issues such as cloudy water (air bubbles) or internal airlocks may arise. For advice on how to resolve these issues, please visit our Issues during or after an outage page. The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is also open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries.

For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of our website.

Uisce Éireann acknowledges the inconvenience caused by interruptions to water supply and thanks communities for their patience and cooperation while we deliver these essential works.