“Critical and complex” repairs on a major water pipeline that supplies about a third of the drinking water across the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) have been successfully completed, Uisce Éireann has said.
The water pipeline that connects the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir was shut down on Friday night and drained to allow for the repair work to take place.
Teams from the water utility were deployed to work in shifts to complete the repairs without causing shortages, although some people saw a reduced water flow.
The extensive repair work was scheduled over the weekend as demand for water is typically lower than usual on bank holidays.
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While reservoirs were filled in advance to reduce the chance of significant disruption, Uisce Éireann had asked householders to avoid unnecessary consumption to maximise the time technicians have to repair the pipeline.
The utility said on Sunday morning that five significant leaks had been repaired, while 35 metres of damaged pipeline has been replaced.
The work was time critical as the pipeline in question can only manage a shutdown of 28 hours before the treated water storage levels become too low, which would have caused significant disruption to supply.
The water had been turned back on and the network was replenishing towards normal levels, the utility said.
“We would like to thank everyone for coming together to conserve water,” said Uisce Éireann spokesman Declan Healy.
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He commended the public in the area for working to reduce usage over the weekend ad said it “helped safeguard the water supply to yourselves and vulnerable users while supporting the crews working throughout the weekend to successfully deliver these essential works”.
While the work has concluded, Uisce Éireann is continuing to urge the public in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to conserve water while the network is refilling.
It said crews will be on standby for the remainder of the bank holiday weekend to investigate reports of low pressure and intermittent supply.
