Irish Water has published details of two major investment projects with a combined value of  €59 million - a €28 million investment in the next phase of the Dublin Region Watermains Rehabilitation Project and a major €31 million upgrade of its  Osberstown wastewater treatment plant.

Ireland’s national water utility responsible for providing and developing water and wastewater services throughout Ireland, has begun scoping and design work on the next phase of a major water conservation project for Dublin which will see €28 million invested in the next phase of the Dublin Region Watermains Rehabilitation project. The scheme, which will save 1.6 million litres of water currently lost through leakage in the region each day, includes replacing 73km of old water pipes, active leak management measures, water leakage reduction, pressure control and water quality improvement.

Burst pipes, water supply disruptions and poor water pressure, are ongoing problems for Dublin’s water supply. Many of the existing watermains in Dublin are cast iron pipes installed up to 100 years ago. Of the approximately 9,200kms of pipe in the Dublin Region, nearly 800kms were installed pre-1930 and almost 1,000kms were installed pre-1940. The project will replace the oldest and the most ineffective watermains in Dublin with new heavy duty polyethylene pipes.

Site investigation work will begin this autumn and construction work will begin in mid 2016. Sections of watermains in the poorest condition will be replaced first with the project expected to be completed in early 2019.

The Dublin Watermains Rehabilitation Project is part of Irish Water’s ongoing investment in national water infrastructure to address serious deficiencies in the water supply and treatment network.

Jerry Grant, Head of Asset Management with Irish Water commented:

“One third of Dublin’s treated drinking water in the Dublin region is lost through leaks, a situation that is both environmentally and economically unsustainable. Currently in Dublin, water supply is operating with spare capacity of around 10%. There is also significant new demand to be met as the economy recovers and so conserving the region’s precious water resources is essential.”

“Conserving water through mains rehabilitation work while working on the longer term strategy to deliver a new water supply source for Dublin is essential and this project is being prioritised to achieve this.”

€31m scheme is largest ever single investment in a wastewater treatment plant

Irish Water major €31 million upgrade of one of the country’s largest wastewater treatment plants at Osberstown, County Kildare is its largest single investment to date in the upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant .

The existing infrastructure is currently under pressure and unable to support future economic and social development in the region it serves - Irish Water has prioritised the project to significantly increase the treatment capacity of the plant.

The project, which is currently under construction, has achieved its first milestone to increase the treatment capacity from the current 80,000 PE (population equivalent) to 88,000 PE.

Completion of all upgrade works at the plant is expected by the end of 2017, at which point the plant will have a final treatment capacity of 130,000 PE and a higher level of treatment in full compliance with environmental licenses. The Osberstown treatment plant discharges treated wastewater into the River Liffey making it one of the largest inshore discharge points in the country. Maintaining river water quality by providing improved treatment processes will be a key part of the upgrade work.

“Many of our treatment facilities are operating under significant pressure with little spare capacity”

Michael Tinsley, of the Wastewater Capital Programme at Irish Water said:

 “Many of our treatment facilities are operating under significant pressure with little spare capacity to cater for increased demand. As the economy continues to recover it is essential that we have the infrastructure in place to meet the growth in demand from our industrial and domestic customers. This region has a thriving and growing agri -food sector and water services are vital to its continued development. By taking a national approach to maintaining and managing assets, investments such as this in Osberstown can be prioritised to deliver the maximum social, economic and environmental benefits.”

Irish Water invested €340m in improving water and wastewater services in 2014 and will invest over €410 million in improving water services during 2015. This spend will increase over subsequent years. Capital investment in the region of €600 million per year is required for a sustained period of several decades, to address the acknowledged deficiencies in the country’s water infrastructure.