Uisce Éireann crews have concluded a significant infrastructure project in Athea, successfully laying 2.5km of new water mains.

The completion of these works, which spanned several months, is expected to provide a more dependable water supply for the local community.

The project focused on replacing ageing water mains that were frequently prone to bursting along the R523 and R524 in Athea. These improvements were delivered as part of Uisce Éireann's National Leakage Reduction Programme.

Brian McCarthy, Programme Manager for Uisce Éireann's National Leakage Reduction, commented on the milestone: "It is great to finish up works in Athea, and leave the community with a stronger and more sustainable infrastructure. We know these works can be impactful locally, but this short-term inconvenience gives us the ability to deliver great benefits, these new water mains will significantly lower the instances of bursts, eliminate existing leaks, improve water quality, and reduce the loss of clean drinking water."

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The works were executed by Ward and Burke Construction Ltd on behalf of Uisce Éireann. Now that the pipeline installation is finished, permanent road resurfacing will be required. These reinstatement works are set to be scheduled and carried out by Uisce Éireann in cooperation with Limerick County Council.

This upgrade serves as a key example of the ongoing efforts to address leakage across Ireland's 65,000km of underground water mains. While identifying and repairing hidden leaks remains a challenge, national leakage figures have reached an all-time low, dropping from 49% in 2014 to 36% currently.