A national programme aimed at reducing leakage is continuing to make a difference, with over 33 million litres of water being saved per day in Limerick City and County last year.

Irish Water, together with Limerick City and County Council and delivery partner Shareridge, is delivering water network improvements through the National Leakage Reduction Programme. An extensive review of the water network in Limerick was conducted resulting in a strategic plan to reduce leakage and provide a more reliable supply. Several significant challenges were identified including the condition of the city's old and fragile watermains, which are prone to frequent bursts, as well as much needed improvements to the network and construction of some critical water infrastructure across the county. Since 2018, almost 22km of watermains have been replaced through rehabilitation/ replacement projects.

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Speaking on the success of the Leakage Reduction Programme to date, Gerry O'Donnell from Irish Water said: "Reducing leakage is not only about replacing old pipes or fixing bursts, but it also involves detailed planning, collaboration and the co-ordination of several different workstreams in order to make the most impact on leakage levels in a given area. Finding underground leaks is difficult. This is why we continually focus a lot of effort on improving the systems to measure the flow of water in a given area. This helps us to better understand where the worst leaks are and then direct leak detection, repair and rehabilitation/replacement crews to those areas. 

"In Limerick, we continue to deliver a programme of works that are collectively driving leakage down. That not only involves fixing and replacing watermains, but also replacing old backyard watermains and lead services. We also  fix leaks on customers properties under the 'First Fix Free' scheme. 

"What we are doing in collaboration with Limerick City and County Council, our delivery partner and local communities is absolutely having a positive effect with over 33 million litres of water saved per day.

"Replacing even short sections of problematic watermains can be very disruptive within a local community due to traffic management and interruptions to the water supply. I want to thank everyone throughout Limerick City and County for their patience and support over the last number of years as we continue improving water quality, reducing leakage and providing a more reliable water supply for everyone."