The existing Ballyboden site has an open water reservoir which stores treated drinking water prior to its distribution to customers.
The €10.5m investment includes the construction of a covered reservoir to store 16 million litres of treated drinking water, the decommissioning of the existing open storage reservoir at the site and work to upgrade the disinfection process at the treatment plant.
The contract to carry out the works on behalf of Irish Water was recently signed by Coffey Construction Limited and work will commence in the coming weeks. As part of the upgrade the existing reservoir embankments will be retained during the decommissioning of the current open storage reservoir.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a direction under the Drinking Water Regulations to cease the storage of uncovered treated drinking water at the Ballyboden Water Treatment Plant. The open storage of treated drinking water can give rise to re-contamination of the water as it is exposed to the environment. This project will also facilitate the removal of the Ballyboden drinking water supply from the EPA’s remedial action list.
William McKnight, Asset Delivery Infrastructure Regional Lead at Irish Water said “The upgrade to the Ballyboden Water Treatment Plant and Reservoir is a priority project for Irish Water. This project is necessary to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of water to over 42,000 people in Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown and South Dublin County. After almost 130 years serving the community, the Ballyboden Reservoir will be modernised to adequately meet current requirements and the needs of future generations’’.
Irish Water spent over €530m on water services in 2016. Capital investment in the region of €700m per year is needed for a sustained period of several decades to address the poor condition of Ireland’s water infrastructure. Works have been prioritised to address the most critical issues in line with commitments outlined in Irish Water’s Business Plan up to 2021. Delivery of the business plan will involve a €5.5bn investment in capital spending on drinking water and wastewater quality and capacity and new infrastructure up to 2021 while achieving efficiencies of €1.6bn.
