GMC Utilities Group have been awarded a four-year contract by Irish Water to design and build watermains replacement programmes. Two regions are included in the contract award, covering the following counties:
Ireland has over 63,000kms of underground water pipe network and a significant percentage of this is in need of replacement. The aim is to reduce leaks on the public water supply network by fixing or replacing old, damaged pipes and to remove any lead pipes from the public network. This will ensure that customers have a more reliable service and experience fewer water outages due to bursts and leaks.
In addition to watermains replacement programmes, GMC Utilities Group will be carrying out a number of activities under the contract including:
The Find & Fix scheme involves leak detection crews undertaking surveys using sounding equipment on footpaths and other public areas. If a public side leak is identified, Irish Water will carry out the repairs. Some water mains renewal works may be required as part of these repairs.
A shared service connection means that two or more properties are fed by a single water pipe. These connections pipes are often made of iron or lead and prone to leaks.
In some older properties water connections may be installed to the back of the property and run through customer’s back gardens. These connections are prone to leaks and can cause reduced levels of service and poor water pressure.
The First Fix Free scheme offers free leak investigations and free repairs for qualifying properties where a constant flow of water is found on the external water supply pipe.
Lead in drinking water is a recognised health concern. We will be investigating the pipes that connect individual properties to the public water mains and replacing any lead pipes with new plastic pipes.