In order to obtain a new connection to a public watermain you need to apply using our Self Service login. Applications on the portal must be accompanied by an uploaded site location plan. Site plan to be 1:1250 or 1:2500 Ordnance Survey based map with the preferred point of connection and site boundary clearly indicated in RED and relative to an existing feature. Any other land owned by the applicant should be shown with a BLUE line around its boundaries, and if a public right of way exists within or adjoining the site, it should be outlined in GREEN. If any of your section of your private pipework is going to pass through land(s) not in your ownership, a letter of approval from the landowner(s) must be submitted.

If your connection is part of a development, you MUST firstly complete application WRI-A076 ’Application for a Watermain Requisition Internal to a Site’. You MUST submit this application a minimum of 3 months prior to the mains being required on site to allow adequate time for the digital submission to be processed and design completed.

The Self Service portal will guide you through the Application Process.

The steps below summarise the new water connection process.

Step 1: Complete the new water connection application on the portal. Application will be subject to triage and payment request.

Step 2: Upon receipt of a completed application, NI Water will carry out an assessment.

Step 3: NI Water will issue an approval letter within 14 days of receipt of your application (including all relevant information), which will state any conditions you will be required to meet. It will also set out the connection fee and any infrastructure charges which may apply. This quotation may be subject to revision to meet changes in the Scheme of Charges, or other financial influences within the company.

Step 4: Provided you have satisfied the conditions as set out in your approval letter, a payment will be requested on the portal (under service charges/payments).

Step 5: After receipt of payment has been received and cleared (6 working days), you must request a date for connection on the portal booking section.

Please note:

• Infrastructure Charges apply to all connections and are levied to cover the cost incurred in enhancing the local network of mains and sewers to provide extra capacity to be able to cope with a general growth in demand which arises from new development as a whole. If the site has previously been served by a water supply and/or a sewer connection, this will be taken into account when applying the infrastructure charges.
• Where applicable, VAT will be added. Water Connection charges for new domestic dwellings will be zero rated for VAT purposes. Please note that if you have made payment and no longer wish to proceed with the connection, it is your responsibility to contact NI Water to arrange for a refund.
• A quotation will be provided for connections over 32mm (external diameter), or where more than 10m of excavation is required.
• Separate supplies are required for all new or newly converted properties, separately occupied houses, flats or parts of buildings. We may consider allowing shared supplies for buildings that are to be permanently kept under one owner or Management Company or where we are unable to supply premises by a gravity connection. 
• In addition to the connection charge, you will also be required to pay, (where applicable) building water charges and a one-off infrastructure charge. The building water charge is for unmeasured water used for the purposes of construction. If a customer does not require a building supply, then this must be noted in the portal application process. Please note once paid, the building supply is non-refundable. In confirming your acceptance, you will be liable for a one-off infrastructure charge and the connection fee to which your application relates in accordance with the current NI Water scheme of charges - see: www.niwater.com

For public health reasons NI Water MUST make the connection to the watermain. It is an offence for anyone else to do so.

Under the Street Works (NI) Order 1995 a Street Works Licence is required by any person or organisation who wishes to place or retain apparatus in a street (this includes the footpath).

NI Water is a Statutory Undertaker with Statutory rights to carry out such works.

Under our Statutory right NI Water MUST carry out the full service connection in the Adopted Road/Street including the excavation and reinstatement, the cost of this service will be included in the quotation.

Where the proposed connection is in a Private/Unadopted road the developer may carry out the excavation and reinstatement. The excavation must be sufficient to enable the service pipe to be laid at a minimum depth of750mm and a maximum depth of 1.35m. The minimum size of excavation required when exposing the watermain is 1.5m x 1.5m. Adequate and safe working space must extend to at least 150mm below the watermain in order to facilitate the connection.

There are many services in the ground as well as water services. You will be responsible for any damage caused to service-cables, pipes etc including NI Water pipes and fittings.

NI Water, under the prescribed charges, will make the connection to the watermain, fit an external stopcock, a meter with guard box (if appropriate) and lay the associated underground service pipe. You will be responsible for providing and laying the service pipe from the external stopcock to the internal stopcock inside the dwelling. This service pipe, of an approved material, must be laid underground with a minimum cover of 750mm.

There are statutory water regulations in force which are designed to protect public water supplies against contamination, undue consumption and misuse. Your internal plumbing installation must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009. You should also ensure that fittings are BS,CE or water regulation advisory scheme (WRAS) approved. NI Water may carry out an installation inspection. You are advised to employ a qualified tradesman to carry out the work in your behalf. You can obtain copies of the ‘Water Supply(Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009’ through the Stationery Office Bookshop in Belfast. If Planning Permission has been granted for a site with contaminated land, then potable water supply pipes must meet the standards specified within the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) document titled ‘Guidance for the Selection of Water Supply Pipes to be used in Brown Field Sites’.

The applicant will be responsible for all water passing through the meter or the unmeasured bills relating to the property.

A Standing Charge is levied on all metered non-domestic customers, the scale of the charge is related to the internal diameter of the customer’s supply pipe as per the current Scheme of Charges – NI Water 2022-23 Scheme of Charges

Domestic
Meters will not be installed as part of the connection process.

Non-Domestic
Meters will be installed as part of the connection process.

Where a non-domestic customer fails to pay for their account within one of month of receipt of the demand, NI Water may, after serving a seven-day notice of its intentions, disconnect the premises from the NI Water main. If a property has been disconnected due to non-payment, a re-connection fee will have to be paid before the water supply will be restored. Further help and assistance can be obtained:-

By calling: 03458 770 003

By email: waterline[AT]niwater[DOT]com

For more information on how NI Water lawfully processes personal data please view our Privacy Notice at; https://www.niwater.com/privacy