Burst water pipe disrupts Ratoath water supply as Trim area advised of restrictions

Uisce Éireann is working with Meath County Council to restore water supply as quickly as possible to impacted customers in Kilbride, Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath and surrounding areas following a burst to a large water main.

Dedicated water services crews are on-site working on repairs and every effort is being made to reduce the impact on homes and businesses and restore normal water supply as quickly as possible. Works are progressing and expected to be completed by 10pm this evening. Typically it takes two to three hours following restoration time for water to refill the networks and normal supply to be fully restored.

To reduce the disruptions in the longer term, a project to replace over 7km of these old and problematic water mains that are prone to frequent bursts and outages is progressing well and expected to be completed by the end of the year. The old water mains are being replaced by larger, modern, more resilient pipes which will also address low water pressure particularly for customers in Ratoath during periods of peak demand. The project also involves the construction of a new, state-of-the-art, elevated 4.7 million litre treated water storage reservoir and secondary disinfection system, adjacent to the existing Windmill Hill Reservoir.

"Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. As per best practice, most homes and businesses will have on-site water storage to provide a backup source of water for sanitation purposes. Uisce Éireann understands the inconvenience when an unplanned outage occurs and thanks customers for their patience while we work to restore normal supply to impacted customers. The customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the water.ie and inputting the following reference number: MEA00064068."

Uisce Éireann is also advising customers in Trim and surrounding areas that an essential overnight water restriction is required tonight to help Brayhill Reservoir levels recover due to high demand.

To help reservoir levels recover and maintain a sufficient water supply to homes and businesses during normal working hours, customers may experience reduced water pressure from 10pm tonight, Monday 12th June until 6am tomorrow morning. Customers in the following areas may be affected - Trim, Knightsbrook, Scurlockstown; Effernock, Carberstown, Blackfriary, Crowpark, Clonbun, Rathmolyon, and surrounding areas. It can take two to three hours following low pressure for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas as water refills the network.

For more simple ways to conserve water check out the Uisce Éireann website where our conservation calculator (www.water.ie/calculator) can help people work out how much water they are currently saving and how they can conserve even more.

Uisce Éireann will continue to monitor the levels at all our supplies over the coming weeks and months and take any actions that may be necessary to maintain supplies, including communicating about localised issues as they arise.

Members of the public can report any leaks in the public water network by contacting Uisce Éireann 24/7 at 1800 278 278 or on water.ie. Uisce Éireann are asking the public to help play their part in protecting essential water supplies for their local communities. There are a number of easy steps people can take to reduce their water usage during the hot weather, including:

Avoid power washing and keep the garden hose in the shed;

Check for leaks on outdoor taps or troughs as these can lead to large losses of treated water;

Remember that paddling pools and swimming pools can use huge volumes of water so try to minimise the amount of water used and consider reusing the water for the garden or cleaning the car;

Report any visible leaks on the public network to Uisce Éireann at www.water.ie.