Water pipe replacement work at Clara housing estate to start next week

A project which will involve the replacement of almost 500 metres of old and damaged cast-iron water mains at the Marian Square housing estate in Clara is due to begin next week.

In a statement today (Thursday), Irish Water said the project would represent "a significant investment" in the area, with the work on site expected to continue until the end of October.

Some traffic management measures will be needed during the project, Irish Water said, but it said the work would be carried out in short sections at a time in order to minimise disruption.

The old water mains in the area are to be replaced with "new state-of-the-art pipes," and this will "greatly improve water quality and reduce the instances of bursts, outages, and low-pressure affecting customers in the area," Irish Water said.

"We are delighted to announce this major investment for Offaly," commented Joe Carroll, Regional Delivery Lead at Irish Water.

"Replacing these old and damaged, pipes is a first step in tackling water quality, pressure and leakage issues which have been affecting homes and businesses.

"The works will not only reduce the amount of drinking water lost to leakage, but will also significantly improve water quality for the local community as well as delivering a much more reliable supply for generations to come."

He added: "On behalf of Irish Water, I’d like thank the local community in advance for their patience and cooperation.

"Traffic management will be necessary as the project progresses, however, based on previous experiences, we know that the short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the long-term benefits."

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 project is being carried out by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd on behalf of Irish Water and is expected to be completed by the end of October.