Irish Water granted permission for Vartry upgrade

Irish Water has been granted permission by Wicklow County Council for a €200 million upgrade of the 150-year-old water treatment plant at the Vartry reservoir.

Water treated at Vartry supplies more than 200,000 people in north Wicklow and south Dublin, but has had no significant upgrade since it was built in the 1860s.

The Vartry scheme has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as being at risk of failure to meet national drinking water standards.

Irish Water said the construction of a new treatment plant, along with other planned upgrades to the existing site, will secure the water supply for the long-term and ensure the Vartry scheme meets all drinking water standards.

“We welcome this planning permission as an important step in securing the drinking water to the Vartry water supply area of north Wicklow and south Dublin,” Geoff O’Sullivan, project manager with Irish Water, said. “The scheme has had no major upgrade since it was built over 150 years ago and is now in need of urgent investment. Irish Water will invest up to €200 million in the upgrade of this priority project,” he said.

Although no additional water will be taken from the reservoir, the upgrade works will also enable the extension of the water supply network from Vartry to other areas of mid-Wicklow including Rathdrum, Aughrim, Avoca, Ballinaclash, Roundwood, Laragh, Annamoe, Redcross, Conary and Glenealy. These areas are currently served by water sources which have been identified by the EPA as being at risk of falling short of current drinking water regulations.

The original plant, which was considered a feat of engineering for its time, involved the building of two reservoirs, a water treatment plant, a 4km-long tunnel under Callowhill and 60 kilometres of trunk main to deliver water to the supply area.