Water Treatment Plant

Location: Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant

Client: Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water)

Partners: DWG Infraco

VIP-WECO Internal Pipe Seals Support Major Irish Watermain Repair

DWG Infraco used VIP-WECO internal pipe seals to complete 15 joint repairs on the Ballymore Eustace to Saggart trunk watermain in Ireland.

The work formed part of the largest repair programme carried out on the pipeline to date. Restricted access, confined working conditions and a tightly controlled shutdown made careful planning essential.

The 26km trunk main carries approximately 220 million litres of treated drinking water every day from Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant to Saggart Reservoir. It helps supply homes, businesses and essential services across Dublin, Kildare and parts of Wicklow, safeguarding water supplies for up to 1.7 million people.

Taking such an important pipeline out of service is never straightforward. The wider programme took months to plan and involved more than 300 people working around the clock. All planned work had to be completed within a 27-hour repair window to keep disruption to water supplies as low as possible.

Fifteen Joints Repaired from Inside the Pipeline

DWG Infraco completed the 15 joint repairs from inside the trunk main using the VIP-WECO internal pipe seal system.

Some repair locations were up to 305 metres from the nearest entry point. Installation teams therefore had to move people, equipment and materials considerable distances through the pipeline before reaching each joint.

Working from inside the pipeline reduced the need for separate excavations directly above every repair location. On a 26km watermain, this helped limit the additional time, cost and disruption associated with conventional external repairs.

At each repair point, installers positioned the VIP-WECO rubber sleeve across the leaking joint. They then mechanically secured it against the internal pipe surface using stainless steel retaining bands, creating a watertight seal around the full circumference of the pipe.

VIP-WECO does not rely on adhesives or bonding to the existing pipe. This makes it a practical solution for leaking joints and localised defects in large-diameter pipelines, particularly where external access is difficult or the available working time is limited.

Completed Within the Planned Repair Window

Uisce Éireann confirmed that the wider repair programme was successfully completed within the planned 27-hour window. Treated water returned to the pipeline, with most customers experiencing no disruption to their supply.

The work forms part of an ongoing programme to reduce leakage and strengthen this important water supply route. Repairs completed during 2024 and 2025 are already saving approximately 1.5 million litres of treated water every day.

For VIP-WECO, the project demonstrates exactly where an internal pipe seal can make a difference: a large-diameter pipeline, difficult access, limited shutdown time and the need for a secure repair without extensive excavation.