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Planning permission to build a new water treatment plant on the site of the existing plant in Vartry, Wicklow, has been approved.
The treatment plant, along with other planned upgrades to the existing site, will secure the long-term future of the water supply and ensure the Vartry Scheme meets all drinking water standards.
The plant was originally built in the 1860s and was a feat of engineering for its time. It involved the building of two reservoirs, a water treatment plant, a four kilometre-long tunnel under Callowhill and sixty kilometres of trunkmain to deliver water to the supply area.
The Vartry Scheme is seen by Irish Water as a priority project.
Geoff O'Sullivan, Project Manager at Irish Water, said: "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. 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."
The construction of the new water treatment plant is a key element of the Vartry Water Supply Upgrade Project, which also includes the decommissioning of the existing water treatment plant and existing tunnel to allow for remediation works to be carried out. A separate application for the replacement of the existing tunnel with a pipeline has been made by Irish Water to Wicklow County Council.
(CD/LM)
