Glanua has successfully completed the Design, Installation, and Commissioning of the Kilkenny City Regional Water Supply Scheme Contract on behalf of Uisce Eireann.
This major infrastructure project, valued at €33 million, has significantly increased the capacity of Troyswood Water Treatment Plant, establishing it as the main water treatment facility for over 28,000 people across Kilkenny City, ensuring a more secure and reliable water supply for the region. The upgrade also facilitated the decommissioning of the existing Radestown WTP which was in the EPA’s Remedial Action List (RAL) due to elevated levels of Trihalomethanes (THM) in the drinking water supply.
Throughout the design and construction of this complex project, prioritising the sensitive environmental location was crucial, with several key features including:
- The new Raw Water Intake was constructed during a strict 3-month Inland Fisheries Window and utilised off-site precast manufacturing to achieve this strict programme constraint. Due to the instream nature of the works in the River Nore SAC, real-time turbidity monitoring and continuous ecological monitoring was implemented both upstream and downstream of Intake works to ensure no adverse effects to the river water quality and aquatic habitats.
- Mitigation measures were installed along the newly laid 2.9km 500mm diameter pipeline (which included HDD trenchless crossings of the River Nore (100m) & N77 (50m) respectively) to Radestown Reservoir to act as barriers to groundwater flow along the trench to ensure no impact on groundwater levels in the nearby wetland habitats and fens.
- Innovative “Recovery and Return” fish and debris raw water screening system to facilitate the return of fish and elvers, which may become entrapped in the intake structure back to the river.
- Adoption of nature-based solutions for the attenuation of storm water drainage and overflows throughout the site with the incorporation of Attenuation Pond and discharge monitoring.
- Upcoming planting of 10,000 native trees around the Troyswood site, with over 1,000 already planted to enhance biodiversity in the region.
The “Brownfield” nature of the works meant multiple and complex interfaces with existing live Water Treatment Plant while also ensuring Treated Water Compliance at all times. This was highlighted during the replacement of 5 no. centrifugal pumps and pipework in the existing high-lift pump room to increase the flow capacity by close to 400% . These works included multiple shutdowns and confined space entries which required extensive planning and coordination with our operations teams to ensure supply to the network was maintained at all times. A testament to our team that ensured these works were completed safely and within the allowable timeframe.
Pictured during the construction of raw water intake.
The successful delivery of this project continues to demonstrate Glanua’s commitment to delivering these complex but rewarding infrastructure projects on behalf of Uisce Eireann.
As part of this project we collaboratively worked with Uisce Eireann, the Local Authority, Kilkenny County Council and Consulting Engineers Ryan Hanley, ensuring the project was completed safely, on time, and with minimal environmental impact.
