Boosting Ashbourne’s growth as work begins on major wastewater investment

Construction will get underway next week on a major new wastewater project in Ashbourne, a significant investment in the town’s future infrastructure.

This €30 million investment will strengthen the town’s wastewater network and provide additional capacity for the delivery of new homes.

Almost 11.5km of new wastewater rising main will be installed from the Ashbourne Pumping Station at Deerpark to Coldwinters Pumping Station at Dublin Airport Logistics Park, with wastewater then pumped via Ballymun and East Sutton to Ringsend for treatment.

This project is being delivered to support social and economic growth, including planned residential development. It will increase the capacity of the network to deliver reliable, sustainable, high-quality wastewater services and will reduce the risk of sewer overflows, flooding, and environmental impacts.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, TD, welcomed the €30 million investment in Meath.  

“This is positive news for the county but particularly the community of Ashbourne. Upgrading the wastewater infrastructure in the area will ensure the infrastructure needed to support the area’s development,” he said.  

“Public water and wastewater services is essential to facilitating housing delivery as reflected in our new Housing Action Plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. Continued investment is also essential to sustain and improve existing water infrastructure in local communities. This project will provide critical capacity to enable new homes and serve the needs of the community.” 

Michael Donoghue, Programme Manager, Uisce Éireann, welcomed the commencement of works in Ashbourne “We are delighted to be kicking off construction on this important upgrade that, once complete, will support existing and future social and economic developments within the community. 

“Strengthening and expanding the overall wastewater network will mean customers benefitting from an improved service in Ashbourne and will facilitate capacity for the delivery of new homes into the future. It will enhance overall performance and reducing demands on the current network,” he said. 

“The works will be completed in two phases with the first phase of works taking place along the R135 and Deerpark. In order to safely facilitate these works, traffic management will be carried out in phases and designed to minimise the impact on the community.  

“We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and work crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works may cause. Much of this work will be completed during the summer holidays and at night to minimise impact on residents and road users,” Michael added. 

The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by GMC Utilities Ltd. and are expected to be fully completed by the end of 2027. 

Uisce Éireann is committed to keeping customers informed. We encourage customers to engage with us through our website, X channels @IWCare and @IrishWater, and our customer care helpline, which is open 24/7 at 1800 278 278. 

Uisce Éireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit our website.