Major watermain upgrade planned following Duleek area outages

Works to replace almost three kilometres of ageing watermain between Staleen and Duleek are due to begin next month in a bid to tackle recurring water outages affecting communities across East Meath.

The planned upgrade follows a series of supply disruptions in recent months which have impacted homes and businesses in Duleek, Donore and the wider South Drogheda area.

According to Laytown/Bettystown Fianna Fáil councillor Stephen McKee, Uisce Éireann has confirmed that significant works are planned on the network, including the replacement of approximately 2,900 metres of an existing 300mm trunk watermain running from the service reservoir at Staleen to Duleek Business Park.

Cllr McKee said the works could not come soon enough following further outages over the weekend.

"The recurring water outages in the Duleek and South Drogheda area have become a serious and worrying burden on local residents and businesses, particularly over the last year or so," he said.

"Reliable access to water is a basic necessity for everyone and the ongoing issues are causing considerable frustration and concern amongst local people. It is particularly difficult for our senior citizens."

The councillor said he had repeatedly raised the issue with both Meath County Council and Uisce Éireann on behalf of residents and businesses affected by interruptions to supply.

He has also called for assurances that the works will be carried out as a matter of urgency and that measures will be put in place to minimise disruption during the upgrade project.

"The plan by Uisce Éireann to upgrade 8km of faulty trunk watermain between Staleen Water Treatment Plant and Duleek to address the frequent supply issues in East Meath needs to be delivered urgently," he said.

"We also need to see what plans there are to cover supply during disruptions during the works."

Cllr McKee said he would continue to press for action to ensure a reliable water supply for residents across East Meath.