Homes and businesses in Dublin and parts of Wicklow and Kildare may experience disruption to their water supplies early next week, Uisce Éireann has warned.
The utility said it is planning a critical repair to a large water main which carries 220 million litres of water a day and supplies one-third of the Greater Dublin Area’s drinking water.
The pipe is more than 25km long and is about the same height as an average adult. Flaws were discovered in it during a recent technological survey, said Uisce Éireann. The pre-emptive repair is aimed at preventing a burst that could potentially affect all consumers in the Greater Dublin network.
The pipe to be repaired links the Saggart reservoir in southwest Dublin with the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant —Ireland’s largest drinking water treatment plant.
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Uisce Éireann said interruptions to the water supply in Kildare and parts of Wicklow, including low pressure, discoloured water, or no water at all may be experienced on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 13th and 14th.
The utility said the works were essential as the pipe is likely to burst if not fixed.
The utility said a burst would result in “unplanned and widespread water outages that could take weeks to repair and affect up to 1.7 million people”.
The Dublin area is heavily dependent on the pipe which supplies equivalent to 80 Olympic swimming pools of water a day.
Uisce Éireann said it discovered the problem during a technological survey which identified parts of the pipeline that need repair. Mark O’Duffy of Uisce Éireann said the job was a complex project due to the size, age and location of the pipe.
“Specialist teams will work as quickly as possible through the night and day to complete the repairs and restore normal water supply. However, there may be a risk of supply interruptions while this work is being carried out and for a period of time afterwards,” he said.
Mr O’Duffy appealed to consumers in the Greater Dublin Area to conserve water to help maintain supply during the repair works.
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