Irish Water carrying out €1.1 million upgrade in Offaly

Irish Water, is continuing its work to safeguard the wastewater network in Co Offaly as it carries out works, in partnership with Offaly County Council, to upgrade 6km of sewer network in Tullamore.

The work involves an investment of €1.1 million by Irish Water. The works are currently underway and are due for completion by summer 2019.

The works will address the structural defects in the antiquated wastewater network.

"This will benefit local residents and business owners by significantly reducing the likelihood of sewer collapses and blockages and reduce potential sewer flooding and odour issues," the utility said.

The works are being carried out using non-dig technology to reduce impact to residents and business owners and to minimise traffic disruption in the town.

As part of the project, Irish Water is cleaning the sewer network in order to undertake an accurate inspection and remove any blockages by inappropriate items like wet wipes, cotton pads, fats, oils and greases.

They are also undertaking CCTV surveys of the sewer network to determine their condition and the extent of any defects. To date 2 km of pipeline have been surveyed.

They have already rehabilitated over 4km of the existing sewer through the installation of plastic liners.

Commenting on the project, Hugh Kennedy, Irish Water Capital Programmes said: "Irish Water faces a serious challenge with the size and scale of issues with the wastewater network. A sewer network that is fit for purpose is essential in order to support business and social development in the town and these works will facilitate ongoing growth. The works taking place in Tullamore will benefit local residents and business owners as the performance level of the sewer network in the town will be improved."

As part of its sponsorship of the Clean Coasts Think Before you Flush (TBYF) campaign, 15 communities across Ireland, including Tullamore, have been identified as TBYF Communities due to significant issues with sewer blockages.

As part of the TBYF community initiative, Clean Coasts is planning a programme of direct engaging with the community to raise awareness of the impact of flushing inappropriate items down the toilet. 

The Think Before You Flush campaign, works to raise awareness amongst the general public about the problems caused in the marine environment and in our wastewater systems, by flushing problem sanitary products and other items down the toilet. In 2018, Irish Water cleared over 6,000 blockages in the public sewer network, as a result of wipes and other inappropriate items being flushed down the toilet and fats and greases being poured down sinks. The majority of these blockages were avoidable.

To find out more on log onto www.water.ie.