Works to replace over 8.7km of ageing water mains with new, modern pipes in Sligo have successfully been completed, Uisce Éireann has announced.

As a result, customers to the south of Sligo town are benefitting from a more secure and reliable water supply.

The recent works included three sections – from Carraroe National School to Grange East Reservoir, from Drumiskabole Crossroads to Ballysadare, and most recently, from Carraroe National School to Drumiskabole Crossroads.

These projects have significantly reduced the volume of drinking water lost to leakage and provided a more reliable supply for homes and businesses in the area.  

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The first section of works saw the replacement of over 3km of mains, running along the L3601 and Oakfield Road. Works commenced in Spring 2024 and were completed in early Summer 2024. 

A second programme of works involving almost 3.7km of ageing mains was carried out from Drumiskabole Crossroads to Ballysadare along the N59 and Old Dublin Road to the roundabout in Ballysadare.

These works also involved laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers' property boundaries and connecting them to the customers' water supply. Works were completed in Summer 2024. 

The final section of works involved the replacement of 2km of mains along the R284 from Carraroe National School to Drumiskabole. Works were carried out by Farrans Construction on behalf of Uisce Éireann and were completed in Autumn 2024. 

Patricia Lowry, Programme Manager with Uisce Éireann, said: "We were losing valuable clean drinking water underground, so it was crucial to locate and fix these leaks and strengthen the network.

"Finding and fixing leaks in the network is an ongoing challenge for us at Uisce Éireann but it is one we are committed to meeting." 

These works were carried out as part of Uisce Éireann's national Leakage Reduction Programme.