Cork City Water Main Replacement - MacCurtain Street
National Leakage Reduction Programme
Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork City Council, has replaced problematic cast iron water mains in Cork City to improve security of supply and reduce leakage.
These critical upgrades were carried out prior to the next phase of urban renewal works under the Cork City Centre Movement Strategy. The locations benefitting from these mains improvement works in Cork City are:
| MacCurtain Street | Hardwick Street | Camden Place |
| Harley Street | Devonshire Street | York Street |
| Pine Street | St. Patrick's Hill | Little William Street |
| Leitrim Street | Carrol's Quay | Woods Place |
| Coburg Street | St. Patrick's Quay | Bridge Street |
The existing pipes were replaced with new modern high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The main construction works were carried out in sequentially in order to minimise any disruption to businesses and residents in the areas.
These works were carried out by Coffey Northumbrian Ltd. in partnership with Cork City Council on behalf of Uisce Éireann.
Benefits
A Reliable Water Supply
- Replacement of water mains and service connections will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages and will ensure a reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area
Reduced Leaks
- Replacement of water mains and service connections will eliminate existing leaks and reduce the amount of clean drinking water lost into the ground
Improved Water Quality
- Removing existing old cast iron and lead from the public water network and replacing them with new pipes will reduce the risk of contamination
Improved Operation and Maintenance
- These works will deliver cost savings by providing improved water network operation that will require less maintenance in the future
Steps
- The water mains replacement works will involve the decommissioning and replacement of over 3.6 kilometres of problematic aging cast iron water mains
- The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers' property boundaries and connecting it to the customers' water supply
- Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work
- South side of MacCurtain Street (including Harley Street) (estimated start beginning of January 2019 to end March 2019)
- North side of MacCurtain Street (estimated start March 2019 to end May 2019)
- Works on all remaining streets will be carried out sequentially from February 2019 to September 2019
