Ballycoolin to Kingstown Trunk Water Mains

Uisce Éireann is installing a new trunk watermain to serve parts of North Dublin benefitting 350,000 customers including residents, businesses, hospitals and agriculture. 

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Fingal County Council, is progressing the Ballycoolin to Kingstown Trunk Watermain project to safeguard the water supply to homes, businesses and hospitals across North Dublin.

The existing water supply network serving the North Dublin Region depends on a single large diameter concrete watermain built in the 1960's that connects Ballycoolin reservoir to Kingstown in south Swords. The existing strategic watermain is operating beyond its capacity, which results in low water pressure across the region during periods of peak demand. As the concrete water pipeline is a critical piece of the supply network, it cannot be taken out of service to be upgraded.

The absence of additional infrastructure in the region prevents Uisce Éireann from diverting available drinking water supplies to areas experiencing a loss of supply whilst emergency works (or planned improvement works) are underway on the existing watermain. Moreover, the current watermain does not enable future growth across the region.

To address this, Uisce Éireann is constructing a parallel pipeline that will have the capacity to distribute 90 million litres of drinking water per day at high pressure from Ballycoolin reservoir to homes and businesses across North County Dublin, including Dublin Airport.

The new additional trunk watermain will improve the security of supply and resilience of the network; enable long term social and economic development in the North Dublin region; and ensure that water pressures are maximised.

What are the benefits of these works?

• Improve water supply security and resilience for residents, hospitals, agricultural enterprises and businesses;
• Increase the water transfer capacity to meet current demand and facilitate future development in the North Dublin region.

What is involved as part of this project?

As part of this project, Uisce Éireann will install a new large diameter underground watermain, which will run parallel to the existing watermain.

The vast majority of works are taking place on private lands with very limited interface with the public, only at a number of short crossings of regional and local roads.

What is happening next?

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is a new trunk watermain between Ballycoolin and Kingstown necessary?
  
  The existing water supply network serving the North Dublin Region depends on a single large diameter concrete watermain built in the 1960's that connects Ballycoolin reservoir to Kingstown in south Swords.
  
  The existing strategic watermain is operating beyond its capacity, which results in low water pressure across the region periods of peak demand. As the watermain is a critical piece of supply network, it cannot be taken out of service to be upgraded.
  
  The absence of additional infrastructure in the region prevents Uisce Éireann from diverting available drinking water supplies to areas experiencing a loss of supply whilst emergency works (or planned improvement works) are underway on the existing watermain. Moreover, the current watermain does not enable future growth across the region.
  
  The new additional trunk watermain will improve the security of supply and resilience of the network; enable long term social and economic development in the North Dublin region; and ensure that water pressures are maximised.

• What areas are served by the Ballycoolin to Kingstown watermain?

The watermain serves parts of Dublin North City and North County Dublin: Swords, Portmarnock, Malahide, Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Donabate, Clonshaugh, Coolock and Darndale. It also supports large institutional and commercial uses including Beaumont Hospital and Dublin Airport.

• When will the upgrade works start and finish?

​Construction of the new trunk watermain is complete and this major pipeline has now been successfully connected to the existing network.