Irish Water has awarded the contract for the design, construction and commissioning of a new water treatment plant at existing Vartry Reservoir site to Veolia Water Ireland Ltd.

When complete the upgrade will secure the long-term future of the water supply for 200,000 people in Wicklow and south Dublin and ensure it meets all drinking water standards.

The construction of the new water treatment plant is part of a €200 million investment in the Vartry Water Supply Scheme.

Originally constructed in the 1860s, the Scheme is in urgent need of improvement and is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL) which identifies water supplies that are in need of improvement to comply with drinking water regulations.

The planned upgrade will ensure the plant meets all drinking water standards and will remove the water supply from the RAL while ensuring a safe and sustainable drinking water supply that complies with national and European drinking water standards.

Geoff O’Sullivan, Project Manager with Irish Water said:

“The upgrade of the Vartry Water Supply Scheme has been a priority for Irish Water since the Utility took over the responsibility for water services in 2014. I am pleased to confirm that a contract has been awarded to commence work on this vital project which will replace the ageing plant, with a modern facility safeguarding the water supply for 200,000 people in Wicklow and south Dublin.

The construction of a new water treatment plant at the existing Vartry reservoir site is the next phase in a wider investment project in the Scheme which also includes the construction of a new 4km pipeline from Callow Hill to the Vartry Water Treatment Plant and covering the treated drinking water storage reservoir at Stillorgan.

Irish Water has also committed to providing a compensation flow of 5 million litres per day into the River Vartry which will protect the ecology of the river during periods of low flow. The volume of water abstracted will be the same level as it has been over the last 150 years, since the Scheme was first commissioned.