Nearly half of Galway water goes down drain through leaks

Galway is losing almost half of its drinking water through leakage from the pipe network, according to estimates from the national metering programme.

Its 48 per cent wastage is marginally higher than the national average – with almost 3,000 householders across the city and county identified as having a serious problem.

Irish Water has already notified those householders of the potential leak on their properties – and that entitles them to a free leak investigation.

Even better, if the leak is confirmed, they can then avail of Irish Water’s First Fix repair scheme, which can sort the problem for free.

Figures just released to the end of March show that 270 householders in Galway have already benefited from the First Fix scheme, with 77 households in Galway having leaks fixed for free – and the utility company is urging more householders to avail of the service.

The Government set aside funding of €51m two years ago to address water leakage on pipework within a customer’s property boundary.

Under the scheme Irish Water notifies customers where suspected leakage is occurring within the boundary of the property outside the home and offer a free leak investigation and repair if appropriate. The vast majority of leaks are underground so go unnoticed and undetected.

To avail of the scheme, customers must have a confirmed leak on their external supply pipe; have water meter installed on their property (so the leak can be verified); and have a working and accessible inside stop valve.

For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune