Uisce Éireann has completed repair work on a major water main which supplies almost one third of the drinking water for the Greater Dublin area.

Following the critical and complex repairs to the major trunk watermain that connects Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and the Saggart Reservoir, water is now back flowing into the treated water reservoirs in areas of Kildare.

The planned works were deemed necessary to repair a section of the pipeline that was likely to burst if not fixed urgently. The utility identified the risk of a major burst during a pipe survey using innovative technology.

Uisce Éireann said an unplanned burst on the pipeline 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 large pipeline which carries 220 million litres of water each day - the pipe is over 25km long and is about the same height as an average adult.

The urgent repair was needed now to ensurethecompany could maintain supply to the Greater Dublin Area.

Speaking about the critical nature of the project for securing the Dublin area’s water supply, Stephen Burke, Uisce Éireann, commented:

“Uisce Éireann has identified that this section of water main is at risk of bursting and causing major disruption for customers, unless repair works are carried out. This is a complex and challenging project due to the size, age and location of the pipe. Extensive planning and preparation has taken place in advance to enable us to carry out these works and minimise impact on water supplies.”

The water company had appealed to customers in the Greater Dublin Area to conserve water to help maintain the water supply during the critical repair works - Uisce Éireann had prepared for this by ensuring all of its treated water reservoirs were as full as possible.