Working in partnership with Donegal County Council, Irish Water have successfully replaced approximately 215m of old problematic water mains in Ballyraine.

Such works will ensure the provision of a more reliable water supply by eliminating existing leaks and reducing the high levels of bursts experienced in the area.

Speaking about the works, Irish Water's National Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead, Declan Cawley said: "The completion of this work in Ballyraine is another step in improving the water network in Donegal. I am delighted to confirm that the water mains replacement works are now complete. Works took place at Ballyraine Industrial Estate road to the junction with R245."

Declan continued: "The importance of replacing such problematic water mains in Ballyraine cannot be underestimated. Replacing these old, damaged pipes will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages, help conserve this precious resource and improve levels of service in the area. The new water mains and service connections will also safeguard the water supply for homes and businesses that previously experienced interruption to their supply during peak demand periods. These improvements to the water network are essential in providing a safe, secure and reliable water supply, now and into the future."

Declan added: "The works did involve some short-term water shut offs and traffic management measures, which we understand causes inconvenience to the local community. However, we would like to take this opportunity to thank customers and businesses for their patience while we completed these essential water main replacement works."

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These works involved the decommissioning of old problematic water mains and replacing them with high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The works were carried out as part of Irish Water's National Leakage Reduction Programme by Farran's Construction Ltd.

The works also involved 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. As part of these improvement works existing lead service connections on the public side were replaced.

Reflecting on the importance of the works for the area Eugene Allen, Water Services Engineer with Donegal County Council, said: "As a result of the collaborative work between Irish Water and Donegal County Council, customers in the Ballyraine area are enjoying a more secure and reliable water supply. The project will benefit residential and business customers in the area by improving water quality, improving the water network, reducing disruptions to water supply, reducing leakage rates and unplanned outages associated with bursts. Completion of these works will also improve operational efficiencies by reducing the need for frequent repairs associated with old problematic water mains. The replacement of these old pipes will safeguard the water supply and have a positive impact on leakage and the daily lives of the local community."

This project is one example of how we are working in partnership with Donegal County Council to reduce leaks every day. Fixing leaks can be complicated with over 63,000 km of water pipe in Ireland. Most leaks aren't visible, resulting in precious water being lost but we are making progress. In 2018 the rate of leakage nationally was 46%, by the end of 2020 it was 40% and we are currently on course to achieve a national leakage rate of 38% by the end of 2021.

The National Leakage Reduction Programme helps provide a more reliable water supply to Irish communities, reduce high levels of leakage and improve water quality. Its delivery means investment of over €500 million between 2017 and the end of 2021 to reduce leakage and replace old pipes on the water network.

Further information on our National Leakage Reduction Programme is also available on our website.

Irish Water continues to work with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Irish Water would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.