Concerns have been raised over proposals to open up the Stillorgan reservoir site in Dublin to the public.

Irish Water has lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála seeking the removal of the planning condition which will impact the firm's ability to ensure the delivery of drinking water to meet the evolving needs of the Dublin region in the future.

The Stillorgan Reservoir Upgrade project includes the draining of one of the reservoirs and the construction of a new covered reservoir. At present treated drinking water is exposed to the environment which presents an unacceptable contamination risk. Once the new covered reservoir is operational, the other two open reservoirs will be decommissioned and landscaping of the site, including a meadow roof for the reservoir, will take place. However, Irish Water retains the objective to add further storage at the site as growth in demand and the supply resilience requires it.

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The current upgrade project is planned for completion in 2021. Planning for additional water storage at the site will commence in the early 2020s with construction of additional storage likely to follow in the late 2020s to ensure that evolving needs are met.

Irish Water's Project Manager, John Prendeville said: "The entire site, which has been in use for the last 150 years, accommodates a live drinking water storage, treatment and distribution centre and is a critically important part of Dublin's water services infrastructure.

"The Stillorgan reservoir, as an active water supply site, contains high pressure pipes and valves so in our view the use of the site for active open space in the form of publicly accessible open space is not feasible. Irish Water's absolute priority is to protect human health by ensuring the safety and security of the drinking water supply for the 200,000 people served from Stillorgan, while being able to plan for future for growth and development."

(CD/LM)