One of the three open-air reservoirs at Stillorgan, pictured in January 2010 Source: Rollingnews.ie

IRISH WATER IS seeking planning permission to build a new giant water reservoir in south Dublin.

The utility will be submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in the next few weeks seeking permission to build the new covered reservoir at the existing Stillorgan reservoir site.

That site has been used to source drinking water for the region for the past 150 years.

Irish Water claims the new reservoir will “safeguard the quality of drinking water for over 200,000 customers”. The new construction is expected to cost €80 million

Currently there are three open-air reservoirs at the south Dublin site. According to Irish Water continuing to keep drinking-water post-treatment in open-air repositories “presents an unacceptable contamination risk”.

The company says that, to date, €3.4 million has been invested to improve the quality of treatment of drinking water at the reservoir,  which saw it removed from the Environmental Protection Authority’s remedial action list.

Assuming the project is given planning permission, one of the three existing reservoirs will be drained, while the other two will be decommissioned once the new one is completed.

Should the new plans receive the necessary permission, the new project is expected to begin in 2018 with a 2020 end date.

Once planning permission is submitted the County Council will enter a period of statutory consultation.

“Covering the reservoir will safeguard the quality of drinking water for the community and provide a long-term solution for the safe and sustainable management of the water supply for the next 15 years,” said Geoff O’Sullivan, project manager with Irish Water.

The Stillorgan reservoir has served the community for over 150 years and this project will ensure it continues to do so.

The two decommissioned reservoir areas will be maintained by Irish Water for future water infrastructure development to ensure that the community continues to have a safe, sustainable water supply for the future.

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