COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 14, 2011

QUESTION NO.1

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

To ask the Manager in view of the growing demand for water in the County will the Manager outline the investment and upgrading programme proposed by this and other Dublin local authorities and if the modernisation of the current water treatment centres will dramatically increase the supply situation?

REPLY:

The production of drinking water from the four main Treatment Plants in the Greater Dublin Area barely outstrips demand at the best of times but failed in the cold spell due to burst watermains and  householders running their taps as they felt this would prevent freezing of their services - which it doesn't.   However the recent extension and upgrading of Ballymore Treatment Plant to take in the maximum amount of untreated water allowable under their abstraction license helped to decreased the amount of time the water restrictions had to be in place.

The recent rehabilitation of old watermains under the Watermains Rehabilitation Project in the Dublin City Area and some in the Dunlaoghaire and now in South Dublin County Council's administrative area in Walkinstown and elsewhere will reduce the leakage in these areas and therefore help the production/demand ratio for the better.  Recently, tender documents for the extension and upgrading of Leixlip Water Treatment Plant were received back by Fingal County Council. These will be evaluated and approval sought from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG)and hopefull by the end of the year a Contractor will be on site and additional drinking production will come on stream by early 2014. Consultants RPS, in joint venture with Veolia Water, were appointed by Dublin City Council in 2005 to carry out long term planning studies into how best to provide adequate supplies of drinking water for the Dublin Region Water Supply Area by 2031. Work to date includes the preparation of a Feasibility Study Report into a range of water supply options (DONE), consultations with all statutory bodies and interested parties on these options (DONE), Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) and appropriate assessments under the Habitats Directive and  the preparation of a Preliminary Report on the new water supply options.The Consultants are still working on the draft Preliminary Report. This final draft is scheduled to be available  in April 2011 for briefing to the Greater Dublin Steering Group and should be lodged with the DEHLG shortly afterwards.  The new source of water will take approximately 12 years to be delivered