Water works on schedule
THE streets of Sligo are being dug up at present as part of a major Irish Water investment and the good news it’s on schedule.
Work is progressing according to plan on the Sligo City Water Main Rehabilitation and Pearse Road Sewer Network Project according to Irish Water with the contractors on track for completion of the mains replacement works this month.
Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Hubert Keeney has visited the site to view the progress being made.
The € 6.8 million investment by Irish Water in partnership with Sligo County Council, involves the replacement and rehabilitation of ageing water mains, installation of new sewers and replacement of all service connections.
The project will benefit residents and businesses by reducing leakage and bursts and improving water quality and supply to consumers.
To date, works in Cleveragh Road, Tonaphubble Lane, John Street and Smiths Row have been completed. Works are ongoing on JFK Parade with road closures there running to May 19th.
Padraig Hanly, Irish Water’s Infrastructure Programme Regional Lead commented: “The contractor has been progressing well with the works programme. To date they have completed mains laying works in Cleveragh Road, Tonaphubble Lane and have moved to the city centre where works will continue to progress over the coming weeks.
“The contractor will notify residents and businesses in advance of any planned works as they progress through their works programme.
“This investment will greatly improve the water infrastructure for residents and business owners in Sligo City.
“The replacement of these ageing water mains will improve the security of supply to customers and will also ensure that the existing and future residential and commercial development needs of the town are served. Water quality will also be improved by replacing existing cast iron pipes with new plastic polyethylene pipes.”
Ward and Burke Construction Limited are the appointed contractors for this project which involves the replacement and rehabilitation of approximately 8.7km of ageing water mains, the installation of 1.5km of foul and storm sewers in the Pearse Road area and the replacement of all service connections including any lead services encountered. The project will also deliver financial savings over the medium and long term through reduced maintenance costs associated with the upgraded pipeline.
Cllr Keaney said: “The replacement of these ageing water mains that are prone to frequent bursts will improve the service being supplied to the people of Sligo.
“This partnership between Irish Water and Sligo County Council will lead to significant improvements and is universally welcomed by local householders and businesses.
“I want to commend the project team for their work to date and acknowledge the patience and understanding of the people directed affected by the ongoing work.”
This project forms part of Irish Water’s investment plan. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan. Delivery of the business plan will involve a € 5.5 billion investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021.
The work on this project will be limited to short sections to minimise impact on residents, businesses and road users. The works will involve some short- term water shut offs for a number of hours over a day or two in each area when the pipes are being connected to the system. The project team will ensure that householders and businesses are advised of any works in their area in advance and will be given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs.
The project team will notify the local community in advance of planned works in their areas and provide contact details should they have any queries. The team will work closely with businesses to minimise any potential disruption and with An Garda Síochána to manage traffic while the works are underway.
Meanwhile, Irish Water will this week begin the process of taking in charge the administration of 6,389 business customer accounts in County Sligo.
The change will see responsibility for account administration for existing business customers in Co Sligo moving to Irish Water from the Council.
Charges for business customers, credit terms and the frequency of billing will remain unchanged while this transition is taking place.
Irish Water took over responsibility for providing public water services to business customers in January 2014. Before this, Local Authorities billed businesses for water services provided to them and they have continued to issue bills on behalf of Irish Water on an interim basis since then. Irish Water is now assuming responsibility for business billing administration.