NI Water to Commence Improvement Work on Sewerage Network in Ballymoney

10 October 2022 11:51

NI Water will commence essential works on Monday 17^th October to upgrade the sewerage system on High Street and Main Street as part of an overall programme of work to improve the existing sewers in the Ballymoney area.

The work – which will help reduce the likelihood of sewer collapses, blockages and ‘out of sewer’ flooding in the town centre - will take approximately 3 weeks overall and will involve both traditional open-cut construction and repairs from existing manholes.

NI Water Senior Project Manager, Robert McLean explains: “NI Water has carried out extensive CCTV work on the sewerage system in Ballymoney and has identified a number of areas within the town centre that require rehabilitation works to ensure that the sewers are as robust as possible. A programme of work has been developed to be undertaken in advance of any future public realm scheme. To help minimise disruption to businesses, the works on Main Street will be carried out at night. A breakdown of the planned work, timescales and traffic management is as follows:

“Between Monday 17^th October and Friday 28^th October our contractor AG Wilson will be carrying out traditional open cut repairs to the sewers on High Street opposite the Town Hall. Working hours will be from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Lane narrowing will be in place continuously during these works to manage the flow of traffic. Access to the Town Hall, businesses and residential properties in the area will be maintained but may be subject to slight delays.

“On Monday 24^th October traditional open cut repairs will also be required to an existing manhole on High Street at its junction with Linenhall Street for approximately 1 day. Manned traffic lights will be in place to manage the flow of traffic. Again, vehicular access for businesses and residents will be maintained but may be subject to slight delay and parking restrictions may be in place around any working area.

“Repairs to the sewers on Main Street will be undertaken at night using trenchless methods from existing manholes within the parking bays. The area affected by the repairs lies between Church Street and Meeting House Street junctions. Work on this section will get underway week commencing 24^th October and will last approximately 2 weeks. Working hours will be 8pm to 6am.

“Every effort will be made to minimise noise and complete the work in the shortest possible timeframe. Where there is night-time working, it is anticipated the most disruptive elements of the construction work will be completed by 11pm.

“NI Water through our project team, AG Wilson and AECOM, have carried out letter drops in the area and will continue to liaise with any businesses and residents directly affected by these works. We appreciate that work of this nature can be disruptive and we will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we complete this essential work. Local communities will benefit from these sewer improvements and reduced flood risk for many years to come.” 

NI Water manages a network of 15,600km of sewers on a daily basis and we have spent billions investing in our water and wastewater infrastructure. However, no amount of investment will completely stop blocked pipes or inappropriate items polluting our environment. Items such as baby wipes and sanitary products are often the cause of out of sewer flooding which can easily be avoided by only flushing the 3Ps, pee, poo and toilet paper; everything else needs to go in the bin.

Ends

A few key points to remember:

Remember wipes will clog the sewers and result in blockages and flooding – never flush a wipe. For further information log on to  www.niwater.com/bag-it-and-bin-it/

Beware of Bogus Callers – if you are concerned about the identity of someone at your door, you can call the PSNI non-emergency number ‘101’ where you will have the option of a ‘Quickcheck’ to confirm the caller is from the utility they say they are.

Do not let children go near work sites or equipment, this can be extremely dangerous.

For further information, please email press.office@niwater.com