Ballymore Eustace to Saggart Critical Pipeline Repair
Uisce Éireann is undertaking the largest repair programme to date on the Ballymore Eustace to Saggart trunk watermain to help protect drinking water supplies for up to 1.7 million people across Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.
Critical and complex repair works will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend on this strategically important piece of national water infrastructure.
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Latest updates for customers in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA)
The trunk watermain carries approximately 220 million litres of treated drinking water every day – the equivalent of 88 Olympic-sized swimming pools – from the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant to the wider water network serving homes, businesses and communities.
This year marks the third year of planned repair works on the Ballymore Eustace to Saggart pipeline. Building on the progress made through repair programmes completed in 2024 and 2025, these works represent the next phase of Uisce Éireann's programme to strengthen this critical piece of infrastructure and help secure a more resilient water supply for customers and communities.
The works are taking place at a time when water supplies remain under pressure and when protecting every litre of treated drinking water has never been more important. Repairing these leaks forms part of wider efforts to reduce water loss, safeguard water resources and protect drinking water supplies for customers and communities at a time of increasing demand and water conservation measures nationwide.
View interactive map of potentially impacted areas.
Potential Supply Disruptions - Affected Areas
Why are these critical repair works needed?
The Ballymore Eustace to Saggart trunk watermain is one of the most important pieces of water infrastructure in Ireland. It supplies drinking water to homes, businesses, public services and communities across Dublin, Kildare andWicklow.
Detailed surveys using specialist technology identified 15 leaks including 5 major leaks and a damaged section of pipeline requiring repair. These planned works are necessary to strengthen the pipeline and reduce the risk of a significant unplanned burst on this critical asset.
Since 2024, Uisce Éireann has been delivering a programme of targeted repairs on the Ballymore Eustace to Saggart trunk watermain, addressing the most critical issues first. Previous repair programmes have successfully repaired leaks and replaced damaged sections of pipeline, helping to strengthen the asset and reduce water loss. This year's programme builds on that progress and marks the next phase of work to reinforce this strategically important piece of infrastructure.
A major burst on the trunk watermain could result in widespread disruption to water supplies and would be significantly more challenging to repair than this planned programme of works. By carrying out these repairs now, Uisce Éireann is helping to improve the resilience and reliability of a key part of Ireland's water network while reducing the risk of future disruption to customers.
Specialist crews will repair 15 leaks, including five major leaks, and replace a damaged section of the pipeline as part of the operation.
Ballymore Eustace to Saggart Pipeline - Repairs to date
How will these repairs help customers and communities?
These critical repair works will:
- Help protect drinking water supplies for homes, businesses and communities.
- Improve the resilience and reliability of a key part of Ireland's water network.
- Reduce the risk of future bursts and unplanned interruptions to supply.
- Reduce water loss through the repair of identified leaks.
- Strengthen critical infrastructure serving Dublin, Kildare and parts of Wicklow.
Who is affected by these critical repair works?
Uisce Éireann has carried out extensive planning and preparation to minimise the impact of these essential works. This includes maximising storage levels in treated water reservoirs across Dublin and surrounding areas in advance of the repairs and carefully scheduling the works over the August Bank Holiday weekend when customer demand for water is typically lower.
Customers in Arthurstown, Co Kildare, who are supplied directly from the trunk watermain, will experience a planned outage.
To support affected customers during the works, alternative water supplies will be available from 10pm on Friday, 31 July 2026 at the following locations:
- Rathmore National School, Rathmore, Co. Kildare, W91 VK46
- Kill Equestrian Centre, Newtown, Kill, Co. Kildare, W91 DX80
We are asking customers across Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to continue to conserve water while these critical repairs are underway. Using water carefully and avoiding non-essential use will help reduce demand on the network while the trunk watermain is temporarily out of service and support the restoration of normal water services following the completion of the works.
Delivering the largest repair programme undertaken to date on the Ballymore Eustace to Saggart trunk watermain requires extensive planning, coordination and specialist expertise. Over a thousand people have been involved in planning and preparing for the operation, with more than 300 personnel expected to be working on site throughout the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Working within a tightly controlled repair window, specialist crews will operate around the clock to complete the repairs, restore the trunk watermain to operation and return normal water services as quickly and safely as possible.
Ballymore Eustace to Saggart Pipeline - Repairs to date
Uisce Éireann carried out critical and complex repair works to a major pipeline that connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir. This is a major pipeline that supplies one third of the Greater Dublin Area’s (GDA) drinking water and was turned off to facilitate these critical repairs. These essential works were needed to safeguard water supply for the GDA.
Uisce Éireann prepared for these critical works by ensuring all treated water reservoirs in the GDA were as full as possible.
We appealed to customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to conserve water to help maintain everyone’s water supply during these critical repair works.
What were the benefits of the critical repair works?
Ballymore Eustace is Ireland’s largest water treatment plant and Saggart Reservoir is a newly upgraded reservoir which stores drinking water from this plant. More than one third of people living in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) depend on this important pipeline that connects them for clean, safe drinking water.
These essential works were necessary to proactively repair a section of the pipeline that is likely to burst if not fixed. A burst on this pipeline would result in unplanned and widespread water outages that could take a long time to repair and affect up to 1.7 million people.
Specialist crews repaired five leaks and also replaced 35 metres of worn-out pipeline.
The critical repair works:
- Ensured the security and resilience of drinking water supply in the GDA;
- Saved water by repairing five leaks on the pipeline; and
- Repaired a section of the pipeline that was likely to burst if not fixed.
Who was affected by the critical repair works?
The water running through this major pipeline needed to be turned off during the works. Uisce Éireann prepared for this by ensuring all of our treated water reservoirs in the GDA were as full as possible.
Specialist teams worked as quickly as possible through the day and night to complete these critical works and restore normal water supply as quickly as possible.
Latest news:
03 August 2025: Latest updates for customers in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA)
Critical and complex repairs have been successfully completed to a major trunk watermain that connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir, to safeguard water supply to 1.7 million customers in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA).
Specialist crews from Uisce Éireann and Local Authorities turned off the water to the trunk main on Monday night with repair and excavation crews working around the clock to repair the pipeline. Critical repairs were completed in the early hours of Wednesday morning and water is now refilling the network.
As the network continues to replenish, customers in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow may be impacted by low water pressure and discoloured water throughout today, while customers in the north Naas area will see their water returned over the course of the day.
Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations for Uisce Éireann said that forward planning has been crucial to the success of these highly complex works and minimising the impact to customers in the Greater Dublin Area.
“Safeguarding water for customers was our primary objective in planning and implementing this challenging repair. Extensive preparation took place in advance to enable us to carry out these works and minimise impact on water supplies. We would like to thank the crews who worked throughout the day and night from Uisce Éireann, Local Authorities and our contractor GMC.
“This section of water main was at risk of bursting and causing major disruption for 1.7 million customers, unless repair works were carried out.”
Uisce Éireann is again asking the public in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow area to continue to make every effort to conserve water while the network is refilling following the shut-off period. This will help all customers have a full water supply as quickly as possible.
The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on X @IWCare with any queries.
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