Dublin City Council has signed a USD$22.3 million (€16.5 million; £11.1 million) contract with Earth Tech Ireland to refurbish Ireland’s largest drinking water facility, the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant in Kildare.

Earth Tech will design and build new filtration, sedimentation, chemical and sludge facilities that will help maintain the plant’s current technical, environmental and safety standards while greatly upgrading the facility’s capacity.

The project, which provides the core of Dublin’s water supply, will also increase the water treatment plant’s capacity from 70 million gallons per day (265 million liters per day) to its peak capability – 88 mgd (333 Ml/d). The refurbishment project will take four-and-a-half years to complete.

The second agreement is a USD$28.7 million (€21.3 million; £14.3 million) design-build-operate project awarded to Earth Tech by the Laois County Council. Earth Tech, with its partner Bowen Construction, will design and build upgrades to the Portlaoise Main Drainage Scheme, which includes a wastewater treatment plant and collection system.

Specifically, Earth Tech will provide process design, mechanical and electrical contracting services for the two-year project, which includes new inlet pumping, aeration, sedimentation, tertiary filtration and sludge dewatering and drying units for the 39,000 population equivalent sewage treatment plant. The Earth Tech team will also operate the improved facility for 20 years once it has been commissioned.

“These two projects will leverage Earth Tech’s extensive water and wastewater experience as we help Dublin and Laois County improve their infrastructure to meet the future needs of local residents and businesses,” said Chris Bateman, Earth Tech’s joint managing director. “This expertise will enable us to undertake these complex refurbishment projects while the existing facilities remain in service.”