A new water pipeline is making significant progress in Cork with over half of the project now complete.

Irish Water is leading the €28 million scheme to upgrade the water supply for over 7,000 people in and around the West Cork town of Skibbereen, as well as to the Drimoleague, Castledonovan, Schull, Leap and Bluid areas and Sherkin Island.

The Skibbereen Regional Water Supply Scheme will replace local water supplies that are nearing the end of their lifespan with a new water supply scheme, which will include treatment plants, new pipelines and storage, providing the communities in these areas with a more secure, safe and robust water supply for the future.

Contractor EPS Group began work on the project in early 2019, with work now complete on 11kms of new pipeline between Ballyhilty Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and Drimoleague.

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Construction is also underway at Ballyhilty WTP and upgrades to Lake Cross WTP are due to commence in Q2 2020. Works are also progressing on several new reservoirs at Drimoleague, Schull and Leap. These will increase the security of water supply to each area. A new reservoir in Sherkin Island is scheduled to commence in Q2 2020.

This will allow for underperforming water treatment plants in Drimoleague, Skeagh and Ballinlough, to be decommissioned and replaced by a much more reliable and robust infrastructure. Existing water treatment plants at Ballyhilty and Lake Cross will be retained and upgraded as part of the project.

These upgrades will also see the Schull and Leap water supply schemes removed from the EPA's Remedial Action List (RAL) and ensure compliance of the new Skibbereen Regional Water Supply Scheme with current drinking water regulations.

"This project will provide a robust and reliable water supply to Skibbereen and the surrounding areas in West Cork and provide a platform for social and economic development of these areas well into the future," said Sean Twohig, Regional Infrastructure Lead with Irish Water.

"We already have much of the work on this project complete and would like to thank the local communities for their cooperation. We would also like to thank our partners Cork County Council, EPS Group and RPS. We will continue to engage with the local communities across the regional scheme, as we deliver the remainder of the project in Drimoleague, Schull Castledonovan, Leap, Bluid, Skeagh, Ballinlough and Skerkin Island."

Construction work is expected to reach completion by the end of 2020.

(CM/MH)