Works progress on flagship reservoir project to safeguard drinking water supply for the Greater Dublin Area

09 May 2022

Uisce Éireann, in partnership with Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council, continues to progress works on the construction of the new 100 million litre reservoir in Saggart. This strategically important project will help safeguard the water supply to homes and businesses in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) by increasing the security and resilience of the drinking water supply to homes and businesses.

This €59 million investment includes the construction of a new, covered, water storage reservoir and associated pipelines, which will have the capacity to store 100 million litres of treated drinking water, the equivalent of almost 3 times the size of the pitch area at Croke Park, supplied from Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant, the largest water treatment plant in the country. It will also include a new electro chlorination plant and associated infrastructure.

This upgrade marks the first significant investment in the existing Saggart waterworks since it was built in the 1950s. The current waterworks will be replaced with a new reservoir, which will provide increased treated drinking water storage and new infrastructure that is critical for our communities and our economy to grow and develop. This project is one of a number of critical steps in safeguarding Dublin’s water supply to ensure it is capable of meeting current and future demand.

The works, which began in March 2021, are almost at the halfway point, with construction on the main reservoir structure and inlet valve house well underway. The inlet structure and reservoir floor are significantly complete, while construction of the reservoir walls recently commenced.

Speaking about the project, Alan Morrissey, Regional Delivery Lead with Uisce Éireann, said: “The delivery of this significant project will improve security and resilience of supply to the Greater Dublin Area. It is one of a number of water projects in the GDA that will provide the infrastructure needed to support the building of houses and schools, to attract new industry and to allow companies to expand and grow.

“The size and scale of the task to improve water services 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.

“The new reservoir will have the capacity to store enough water to supply almost 300,000 homes with the water they need for one day. It is one of a portfolio of water projects that we are delivering to safeguard the water supply to homes and businesses.”

RPS Group Limited are providing technical assistance to Uisce Éireann on the project. While it is being delivered on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Coffey Construction Ireland Limited. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Uisce Éireann has launched a new progress video to showcase how works are progressing on site as well as highlighting the scale of the works being undertaken. Check out our Saggart Reservoir Project page to find out more about the project.   

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 the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.