Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) has laid its one millionth metre of water main pipe within the £80 million Water Mains Rehabilitation Project. The project has been ongoing for four years, systematically upgrading the water main infrastructure throughout Northern Ireland.

Putting the scale of the project into context, to reach the one million metre mark, the project team has laid almost 1000m every working day. The upgraded water mains will dramatically improve the quality, reliability and flexibility of water supply across Northern Ireland while also reducing leakage. NI Water’s existing infrastructure is aging and in certain areas, the system does not have the capacity to accommodate an increase in housing or tourism.

Commenting on the one million metre mark, Gary Curran, NI Water Project Sponsor said:

“We are delighted to have reached this milestone in a very ambitious time frame. Due to the scale of the water mains rehabilitation project, almost every town, village and city in Northern Ireland has seen some kind of disruption. I’d like to thank all householders and road users affected by the works for their continued patience.

“In an attempt to minimise disruption and reduce the amount of waste material generated, the project team are using underground low-dig technology. To date, over three quarters of the mains have been laid without the need to open large trenches.

“I would like to thank our two teams of specialist contractors undertaking the works, Enterprise Farrans JV and Lagan Holleran JV, who work alongside a dedicated project management team, comprising specialists from NI Water and Atkins Consultants.”

NI Water’s Water Mains Rehabilitation Project is part of an extensive £300 million investment that will take place over the next 15 years.