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Scientific and Technical Service Programme

Uisce Éireann is establishing a national, accredited, in house scientific and technical service capability to support delivery of water and wastewater services across the country, as well as protecting of public health and the environment through regulatory and operational compliance. This will be achieved by developing a new Scientific & Technical Service in collaboration with our key stakeholders.

The programme includes the construction of a new state-of-the-art National Laboratory facility in Ballysimon, Limerick and an associated Lab Information Management System (LIMS) database will be the engine of the lab, storing and reporting on national sample and test data. Once operational the Lab will achieve international best practice standard ISO 17025 accreditation and will enhance and standardise the Testing & Sampling Service.

Our programmes mission is to serve our communities through the enhancement of the water testing capability to support the protection of public health and the environment and safeguard our water supply. This service is a key enabler, underpinning the work of Uisce Éireann in delivering and upgrading water services across Ireland.

The new Laboratory and Scientific and Technical Service will deliver many benefits, including: 

  • Improve water quality data: Increased capability levels for testing of drinking water and wastewater will help Uisce Éireann protect public health and the environment. 
  • Regulatory Compliance: This national service will ensure compliance with new and expanding international legislation and controls.
  • Increased transparency for the public: Improvements in the speed of notification of quality failures will lead to an improved response capability and provide assurance to the public that they are receiving a high-quality service.  
  • Economic growth: This national service will support Ireland’s need to continue to function as a growing economy.  At regional level, the new Laboratory will generate high skilled employment opportunities, attracting graduates and experienced professionals to Limerick and the west region

  • Uisce Éireann selected Limerick as the optimum location for the Laboratory based on several considerations, including the geographic distribution of sampling points, access to major routes and excellent nearby academic institutions. This will enable Uisce Éireann to contribute to balancing economic growth nationally while creating high-quality technical career opportunities outside of Dublin. It will leverage a skilled and qualified workforce in the region, supporting sustainable communities and helping to balance growth in Ireland.
  • Planning permission was granted by Limerick County Council in 2019 for the National Laboratory and following a competitive procurement process, the construction contract for the new laboratory was awarded to Walls Construction Ltd in December 2022.  A separate competitive procurement process for the supply and installation of laboratory equipment is currently underway.
  • Once fully operational the new laboratory will process in the region of 250,000 water and wastewater samples from across the country and undertake 1.2 million tests annually in addition to testing river and lake water quality.  It is anticipated that in region of 90 people will be employed in the operation of the New National Laboratory. Along with our existing laboratory teams there will be new opportunities for scientific and technical graduates and professionals.
  • This laboratory will enhance Uisce Éireann’s work in protecting the public health by ensuring the delivery of clean, safe drinking water through rigorous analysis.

This facility will house state of the art equipment for microbiological and chemical analysis which will be accredited to international quality standards. It is designed with a focus on swift service to all our users, energy efficiency and staff welfare. The Laboratory building is 3,736m2 in scale, comprising a series of laboratories and support rooms. The design is focused on efficient distribution, storage and analysis of samples.

Please keep an eye on our careers page for upcoming opportunities. https://www.water.ie/about/careers/

Construction commenced in March 2023 and is expected to take approximately 2 years followed by a commissioning period. It is anticipated that the new National Laboratory will commence operations in 2025. Keep up to date on construction progress on the News and Updates section.