Water supply for customers in Louth and east and south Meath is returning after Louth County Council, on behalf of Irish Water completed a complex repair on a uniquely high pressured water main.
The burst saw outages and reduced supply for up to 60,000 domestic and business customers around Drogheda, south Louth, east and south Meath as the storage in local reservoirs was gradually depleted.
Three attempts to fix the 50 year old pipe failed over last weekend as the corrosion and warping of the pipe meant that any available standard fittings were not sufficient.
A bespoke piece of pipe and fittings were manufactured in Belfast and finished in Balbriggan and on site early on Wednesday morning when the repair was made.
Water was gradually run back through the pipe and during Wednesday reservoirs were slowly filled as production was increased at the Staleen Water Treatment Plant.
At the height of the outage, there were 20 tankers refreshing reservoirs; seven stand pipes; 10 stationary tankers; 63 Bulk Water Containers; 13 tankers filling the Bulk Water Containers; and 9 bowsers providing water for those affected.
In addition water was rationed around the network that allowed some customers to have limited supply for a few hours per day. At all times, the critical supply to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and the town centre was prioritised and maintained at all times.
Speaking about the incident, Managing Director of Irish Water Jerry Grant said,
“Irish Water is continuing to monitor this pipe and to ensure that the repair holds and that no other issues emerge. In the aftermath of this we will review the provision of drinking water in this area and how we might build greater resilience into the system, such as when we were able to move some water from Fingal to Meath.
“It's clear from the significant level of disruption and hardship endured by so many customers as a result of the burst that the replacement of this pipe must be a priority for Irish Water. A detailed programme for complete replacement will take a number of weeks to finalise and we will need to undertake detailed planning and design work before we can be confident around the exact timeframe.
“However, a preliminary view suggests a timeframe of 18 months and a budget of €2-3m will be needed to complete the work. In addition the Staleen Water Treatment Plant is scheduled to commence a significant upgrade of the water treatment plant and pumping station in the coming months.
“Providing clean safe drinking water is an absolute priority for Irish Water. We are aware of the challenges we face with an aging network and the reality that significant failures will occur from time to time for the foreseeable future. “
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