Key contract signed for critical upgrade to the drinking water supply in South Dublin and North Wicklow

07 June 2022

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Wicklow County Councils, is delighted to announce the signing of a major new construction contract that will result in critical upgrades to the drinking water supply in South Dublin and North Wicklow. The project will provide a more reliable water supply for existing homes and businesses. It will also support social and economic growth and provide capacity for future growth for up to 12,000 homes.

The project, known locally as the Old Connaught-Woodbrook Water Supply Scheme, will involve the construction of of two new state-of-the-art reservoirs and more than 13km of new watermains, providing new drinking water infrastructure for the area which will provide network resilience and flexibility for South Dublin and North County Wicklow.

Ward and Burke Construction Limited have been awarded the construction contract and will deliver the project on behalf of Uisce Éireann. Works are commencing later this month.

Commenting on importance of the project for the GDA, Alan Morrissey, Regional Delivery Regional Lead with Uisce Éireann, said: “This project is an important milestone in the Greater Dublin Area’s water supply. These new reservoirs and associated pipelines will provide enough storage capacity to meet current and future demands of homes and businesses across South Dublin and North Wicklow for decades to come, and to attract new industry and allow existing companies to expand and grow.

“Today, in Ireland and across the world, we can see the impacts of Climate Change bringing with it long spells of warmer weather and warnings, alongside the continued need to support housing, businesses and economic growth. The East and Midlands of Ireland and the GDA’s water network needs to be more resilient to periods of high demand which is why we are building future capacity into our water infrastructure.

“Projects such as these are essential to allow Uisce Éireann to continue to support social and economic growth in Ireland through the delivery of essential water and wastewater services. The size and scale of the task to improve our water services and to cater for a modern, growing economy shouldn’t be underestimated. We have made significant progress but there is work still to do as we continue to build world-class water infrastructure through our multi-billion programme of investment. This project is just one of a number of critical steps in safeguarding Dublin’s water supply to ensure it is capable of meeting current and future demand.”

Uisce Éireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support growth in our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.

Uisce Éireann continues to keep customers informed about their water and wastewater supplies across multiple platforms 24/7 and we encourage customers to engage with us on Twitter @IWCare and through our customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and by setting their location on our website.