Householders in Tuam have been informed that works will commence on replacing the defective water mains – six months after they were issued with a boil water notice.

Almost 50 residents living along the Milltown Road in Tuam have been affected by the notice which has been in place since early August.

But what infuriated the residents most was the lack of communication from Irish Water – or Uisce Éireann as they are now known – on progress on replacing the pipe network.

This week Irish Water confirmed that works will commence on the replacement of the water mains over the coming days and the works are expected to be completed in April.

It means that the residents, among them a 94-year-old woman, will have been boiling their water for more than nine months.

It is the responsibility of Uisce Éireann to replace the rotting pipes that serves all detached houses along a half mile stretch of the Milltown Road.

The existing mains are extremely old and, over the years, there have been countless leaks and several outages.

On August 3, householders were informed that they were on a boil water notice as there was an unacceptable amount of iron in their supply.

Local resident John O’Halloran said that it was a huge relief that works were now starting.

He stressed that the residents would be monitoring the progress on the replacement to ensure that the deadline for the completion of works is complied with.

“But the treatment we have received is appalling. They told us that we were on a boil water notice and then simply walked away. They left us completely in the dark,” added Mr O’Halloran.

Tuam area councillor Pete Roche said that it had been “a torturous few months” for the residents living along the Milltown Road.

He added that while it was a good news story that the pipes are to be replaced, it had been a difficult situation for the residents to endure.

In a statement, Irish Water confirmed that the project, being carried out in partnership with Galway County Council, involves the replacement of approximately 861m of cast iron water mains with new pipework.

Uisce Éireann’s Enda MacNamara explained that as sections of the existing cast iron network are replaced, the company and Galway County Council will be in a position to consult with the HSE with a view to lifting the boil water notice.

Farrans Construction, in partnership with Galway County Council, is delivering the project on behalf of Uisce Éireann with completion expected in April.

“In the meantime, we will continue to closely monitor the local water supply to protect the health of our customers,” he stated.