COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS

SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 10, 2007

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor D. Keating

To ask the Manager to report in detail, and on an area by area basis, as to what regular examinations are taking place, or planned examinations will take place, with a view to upgrading as necessary the underground water mains piping infrastructure in South Dublin in an effort to help minimise major water mains bursts which may arise owing to ageing or deteriorating water mains piping infrastructure. Such water mains bursts are the cause of huge inconvenience to the Local Residential Community in South Dublin.

REPLY:

 South Dublin County Council is currently involved in a €118m Dublin Region Project which is being project managed by Dublin City Council. This project, The Dublin Region Watermain Rehabilitation Project (2006-2011), began with the appointed consulting engineers, RPS, drawing up a list of some 60 DMAs (District Metering Areas) throughout the Dublin Region on the basis of pre-determined criteria and applied regionally.  Of this list, 40 DMAs will be shortlisted to be rehabilitated under the project, the vast bulk of which are located in Dublin City Council. The DMAs to be included in the Project will be selected on the basis of the highest leakage saving per Euro spent.

The primary purpose of the project is to advance the Greater Dublin Regional effort, under the current Maintenance Phase of the Water Conservation Project which was initiated in 1998, to reduce Regional watermains leakage by replacing those sections of watermains where the need of repair will be most effective, i.e., greatest leakage saving. 

In South Dublin County Councils area the projects team consultants, RPS, have identified  two industrial DMAa as falling within the scope of the rehabilitation  works project - Red Cow and Baldonnell.  In addition, two other "hot spot" areas are seriously being considered - Limekiln and Lucan Village.  "Hot spots" are areas exhibiting considerable burst history over a sustained period.

It should be noted that a presentation was given to the Area Committee Meetings on the Dublin Region Watermains Rehabiliation Project in June 2007. 

The Water Maintenance Section continues to work within its Annual Operational Water Maintenace and Water Network Management Programmes and the Sanitary Services Capital Works Programme 205 - 2008 which sets out scheduled watermain sections that have been identified in need of repair or replacement.