Irish Water has made significant progress in its work on the Lough Mask Regional Water Supply Scheme (RWSS) network since February 2015 to significantly reduce the amount of water lost to leaks.
Leakage of water from the network is a serious problem on a national scale and that is reflected in Co Mayo. Lost water is estimated at 47% nationally, based on figures from the national metering programme, and 54% in County Mayo.
Due to an intensive active leakage control programme to proactively find and fix leaks on the public watermain network undertaken by leak detection and repair crews, public side leaks on the Lough Mask RWSS have been reduced significantly.
Since February 2015, over 4.55 million litres of water per day have been saved on this scheme alone due to Irish Water investment in partnership with Mayo County Council Water Services staff. In addition to the leak repair works on the public network, Irish Water’s First Fix Free scheme has also achieved water savings in addressing private side leaks i.e. leaks inside the customer’s boundary meter box.
Apart from these works, a further 7.5km of problematic water mains were replaced in 2015 and Irish Water has recently approved the replacement of an additional 7.8km of watermains on this scheme. These sections of watermains were identified for replacement due to their high burst frequency, high leakage levels, disruptions to supply and water quality issues.
Irish Water is also in the process of reviewing pressures within the county with a view to identifying potential for pressure reductions in some areas, which should lead to further water savings.
Kate Gannon, Irish Water’s Water Conservation Strategy Specialist, commented:
“Leakage repairs on the public network are prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan up to 2021. This ensures an effective approach is undertaken to repair leaks in the public network, which are a result of historical underinvestment in the infrastructure."
“Irish Water’s First Fix Free scheme launched in early 2015 across all metering regions in Mayo and throughout the country. To the end of March 2016, 75,974 properties were identified with customer side leaks, 2,503 of which have been found in Mayo.”
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