Water burst repairs completed

IRISH Water, working in partnership with Mayo County Council, has confirmed that the three burst pipes which caused water outages for thousands of customers in the Ballina area have been successfully repaired.

However, while repair crews were monitoring water flow in the town this morning (Wednesday) they discovered excessive increased demand in the Bohernasup area. This is a district metering area and using technology available to detect leaks in the system, a leak was detected which will require a minor repair. 

Disruption has been isolated to approximately 10 houses and the repair should take no more than a few hours to complete.

The repairs to the original three bursts were complex due to their proximity to existing utilities as well as the associated traffic management plans that were required during a busy bank holiday in Ballina.

On Monday the first burst occurred at 7 a.m. on the Cathedral Road and Abbey Street junction. A plan was put into action to feed the majority of affected customers by diverting water via the Bunree Road.

At 11 a.m. on the same day a second burst occurred at Bachelor's Walk which was attended to immediately and repaired by 4 p.m.

On Tuesday morning at approximately 6 a.m. a third burst occurred on the main on the Bunree Road that was supplying the diverted water to customers affected by the Cathedral Road and Abbey Street burst. This led to disruptions to supply in Abbey Street, Church Road, Bonniconlon Road, Attymass, Bunree and surrounding areas. 

All three bursts have been repaired, with water restored to the remaining 70 to 80 houses that were without water overnight at 9 a.m. this morning.

Irish Water and Mayo County Council would like to apologise to customers affected by these unplanned bursts. Crews have worked hard since early Monday morning to complete repairs. All available resources were utilised to minimise disruption and tankers were put in place to provide an alternative water supply for anyone without a water supply. Vulnerable customers were prioritised and supplied with water.