Watermain replacement in Leitrim costing over €2 million to begin this spring

Uisce Éireann confirmed last August that almost 3km of watermain running from Fenagh to Ardrum would be replaced this year. 

It has now been confirmed that the 2.85km of replacement works is currently at the design stage and is due to commence in late Quarter One, continuing through to late Quarter Three, with an estimated cost of €2.1 million.

This section of the network has been subject to constant bursts and repeated failures, resulting in ongoing disruption for households, businesses, and the wider community. These issues have led to water shortages and persistent supply problems, particularly affecting South Leitrim.

This information was confirmed to Cllr Gary Prior, who has long been fielding complaints regarding the area’s unreliable and inadequate water supply.

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“This is very welcome news to the Households and Businesses of the greater Ballinamore, Corraleehan, Aughawillan and surrounding areas who have seen huge disruption especially in the last two years,” said Cllr Prior.

Cllr Prior added that the frequent bursts and water disruptions have caused significant losses for businesses, particularly in Ballinamore, where in some cases businesses were unable to operate due to a lack of running water. “Many farmers too experienced much hardship and difficulties due to the outages,” added Cllr Prior.

“I very much welcome this update and look forward to seeing machinery on the ground very soon in early spring,” he concluded.

Uisce Éireann is also planning a €32 million upgrade to the Carrick-on-Shannon water treatment plant, which is currently operating at full capacity. However, the project is not expected to be commissioned until 2030, a delay that is likely to stall housing development in Leitrim for several years.

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