Irish Water to replace 200m of old water pipes in Swords beginning next week

Irish Water has announced that it will continue to replace old and problematic water mains in the Swords area to provide a more reliable water supply, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality.

This project is being delivered as part of Irish Water’s national Leakage Reduction Programme.

Working in partnership with Fingal County Council, the works involve the replacement of over 200 meters of old and damaged, cast iron water mains with new modern pipes on Bridge Street in Swords, from the junction of Church Road to the junction of Main Street.

Cast iron mains can, over time, become encrusted which can significantly impact water quality and pressure.

Replacing the pipes with new, modern pipework will greatly improve water quality and reduce the instances of bursts, outages and low-pressure affecting customers, Irish Water says.

The upgrade works, will begin on Monday, August 22.

Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said: “We are delighted to announce this important investment in Swords.

“Replacing these old and damaged, cast-iron pipes is a first step in tackling water quality, pressure and leakage issues which have been affecting homes and businesses.

“The works will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage, it will also significantly improve water quality for the local community as well as delivering a much more reliable supply for generations to come.

“On behalf of Irish Water, I’d like thank the local community in advance for their patience and cooperation as traffic management will be necessary as the project progresses, however, based on previous experiences, we know that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits.”

To minimise the impact on the local community, Irish Water says it is undertaking the works on a phased basis with areas of work limited to short sections.

“Traffic management will be necessary which will include a lane closure on Bridge Street, and traffic heading west via Bridge Street and onto the Rathbeale Road will be restricted.

“Diversions will be communicated locally and signposted on approach,” a spokesperson says.

The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customer’s water supply.

The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions which “may cause inconvenience, however, the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions.”