800m of old cast iron watermains in Cork being replaced

Over 800 metres of old cast iron watermains along Sidney Park and Sidney Hill in Cork are currently being replaced, with the project expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The works, being carried out by Uisce Éireann in partnership with Cork City Council, will take place along Sidney Park, Sidney Hill, Wellesley Terrace and Waterloo Place. Traffic management will be in place throughout the project in the form of traffic lights and flagmen.

“The Sidney Park and Sidney Hill area is one of the locations that has been prioritised for replacement due to the discolouration issues that some customers in the area have been experiencing with their water supply. The old cast iron watermains we are replacing were originally constructed in the 1950s," programme manager at Uisce Éireann, Jack Cronin said.

"We are delighted to progress these upgrades for the local community, providing them with a more reliable water supply that will also reduce leakage and strengthen the water network in the city.

“Our leakage reduction team have been hard at work and have reduced the amount of water lost by 50% in Cork city, that’s 17 million litres of water saved across the city every day. We remain committed to investment in Cork to ensure the delivery of world class water services.

“We would like to thank customers in advance for their cooperation and patience while we complete these works.’’ 

The project is being carried out by Ward and Burke Construction Ltd. on behalf of Uisce Éireann.

The works may involve some short-term water interruptions and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned disruption. 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. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these are being replaced.