A programme of water improvements has got underway to safeguard supply in Dublin 6.

These upgrades will help improve the supply for those in the neighbourhoods of Harold's Cross, Milltown, Ranelagh, Rathgar, Rathmines and Terenure.

Work will begin in Rathgar to drive down leakage and improve water quality and supply. The project represents a significant investment by Irish Water and involves the replacement of over 1.5km of old cast-iron water mains with new modern pipes that will immediately improve water quality and reduce the instances of bursts, outages and low pressure affecting customers. The majority of the works will take place on Rathgar Avenue, progressing North via Harold's Cross Road, and finishing at the junction of Mount Drummond Avenue. In order to facilitate the project, a second work site will also be active on Mount Drummond Avenue.

In February, Irish Water, working in partnership with Dublin City Council, completed a major programme of works to replace over 1.7km of old and problematic cast iron water mains on Orwell Rd and Churchtown Road Lower with customers already enjoying a more reliable water supply and improved water quality. Cast iron water mains over time can become encrusted and can affect water quality and pressure. New, modern pipework installed as part of these improvement works have significantly reduced water quality issues that were impacting the local community as well as reducing the number of bursts and outages.

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Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said: "We are very aware of the water supply issues impacting customers in this area of Dublin. Replacing these old and damaged pipes which have a long history of bursting, causing outages and low pressure to customers, 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 residents and businesses in advance for their patience and cooperation as there may be some disruption in the short term, however, based on previous experiences, we know that this will be overshadowed by the longer-term benefits."

To minimise the impact on customers, areas of work will be limited to short sections and some traffic management will be necessary, however, local and emergency access will be maintained. 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, but customers will be given a minimum of 48 hours' notice prior to any planned water interruptions. 

The works will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Group and are expected to be completed by the end of September.