WATER CUT FEARS AFTER BURST PIPE
RESIDENTS TOLD TO CONSERVE WATER AFTER STALEEN PIPE BURSTS
FEARS of a repeat of the major disruption to water services in the Drogheda area were thankfully not realised last week, following a burst on the same pipeline at Staleen Water Treatment Plant.
Residents were warned to conserve water after the pipeline, which services Drogheda and East Meath, suffered another rupture last Wednesday.
Over 70,000 customers were left without a regular water supply last July for almost a week, forcing people to rely on standpipes and bottled water from local shops and supermarkets.
However, this time repair crews were on site within hours, working throughout the night to excavate the area and locate the burst.
In a statement issued last week, Irish Water says it has approved the budget and design for a new pipeline to replace the existing lines and the pipes have been procured.
“We are in the final stages of resolving all of the contractual and regulatory issues and we plan to begin mobilising construction of the pipeline within weeks, with the aim of having the programme completed by year end”, the statement added.
Work on the repair began at first light on Thursday morning and the repair was completed without any major loss of service.
The burst is close to the same location of the burst which occurred last year.
The treated drinking water reservoir serving Drogheda and most of East Meath has enough water to maintain a water supply to customers for a 48-hour period.
A water supply was constantly being maintained to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and a Irish Water also prioritised schools, nursing homes, crèches and vulnerable customers.
Vulnerable customers in Louth and East Meath were contacted by Irish Water, and Louth and Meath County Councils, coordinated efforts to ensure bottled water was delivered throughout the day.
A water outage did impact some customers in Ratoath, Kilbride and Duleek, and alternative water supplies were mobilised and water tankers were located in the areas.