Whitegate Water Treatment Plant Upgrade
Uisce Éireann is progressing plans for a major upgrade of Whitegate Water Treatment Plant. Planning has now been approved by An Bord Pleanála.
Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Cork County Council, is progressing plans to improve the Whitegate Regional Public Water Supply with a major upgrade of Kilva Water Treatment Plant. Planning permission has now been granted by An Bord Pleanála. This investment will ensure a safe, secure and reliable supply of drinking water to approximately 10,300 people in the region.
The water source is Dower Spring, near Castlemartyr and is pumped to the Whitegate Water Treatment Plant at Kilva some 9km away. The Spring is located in Karst Limestone and considered highly vulnerable to elevated turbidity levels. As a result the water supply has been added to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL) and has been subject to a number of Boil Water Notices in recent years.
This project will address risks to water quality by providing enhanced treatment facilities at a brand new water treatment plant adjacent to the existing plant. Glanua have been appointed to deliver the Design, Planning, Construction and Commissioning works on behalf of Uisce Éireann.
What's involved in the project:
- Provision of a new 6,000,000 litre/day water treatment plant, on a site adjacent to the existing plant and reservoir.
- Construction of a new 450,000 litre raw water balancing tank.
- A new coagulation, flocculation and clarification system.
- A new filtration system with rapid gravity filters.
- Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection - including two new UV reactors.
- Construction of a new clear water tank.
- All associate buildings, control and ancillary items.
- Decommissioning of the existing water treatment plant.
What are the benefits of this project?
- Ensure a reliable water supply for 10,300 people in the region;
- Improve the quality of the water being supplied to Whitegate and surrounding areas;
- Enable the removal of the Whitegate Public Water Supply from the EPA's Remedial Action List (RAL);
- Address the persistent Boil Water Notices on the supply.
- Ensure compliance with National and EU drinking water regulations.
Next Steps
- Planning has now been granted by An Bord Pleanála.
- Construction will commence in the second half of 2024 following contractual agreements and governance approvals.
- The construction phase is expected to take approximately 22 months.
- We will endeavor to keep stakeholders updated as this project progresses.
