Galway County Council has received Government approval to invite tenders for the construction of a new water treatment plant, the construction of two new reservoirs at Rosmuc and Glenmore, Carraroe, together with the network and pipe-laying contract for the Costelloe Regional Water Supply Scheme.

The work is being funded under the Water Services Investment Programme 2010–2012, as two contracts to commence construction during the period of the programme at an estimated cost of over €15 million.

“My approval reflects the commitment in the programme for Government that our public drinking water supplies will deliver a reliable service that is 100% compliant with drinking water standards,” says Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,” In this case, the proposed scheme will ensure that consumers in the Costelloe area will have a high quality water supply that will have capacity to meet current and future needs.”

Building on its successful relationship with Northern Ireland Water, WYG has won a contract to help improve water quality for residents of east Belfast. The Leeds-based consultancy will be designing, managing and co-ordinating construction design management on a new £750,000 project to reduce out-of-sewer spills to water courses. This project forms part of a larger eight year framework.

For over seven years, WYG has been managing Northern Ireland Water’s Integrated Wastewater Framework which is designed to reduce the risk of flooding and improve water quality for the eastern region of Northern Ireland.

“Since the project is located centrally in the Connswater Greenway scheme, the design and construction work will be undertaken considerately to its surroundings. The Greenway will create a 9km linear park through east Belfast, following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers, which makes the location environmentally sensitive,” comments Ernie Spence, associate of WYG. “Throughout the project we will be focused on alleviating disturbance to the surroundings, working in a sustainable manner through the design and construction phases. Our design involves converting concepts developed using hydraulic modelling into buildable solutions, whilst minimising environmental impact and providing value for money.”

Northern Ireland has inherited a legacy of acute underinvestment in water and sewerage systems, which has led to significant disparity when compared with the rest of the UK’s water industry, in particular in the areas of out of sewer flooding and water mains leakage. However, last year saw some £778m being invested in water and wastewater infrastructure – £174m in water treatment and storage facilities and mains improvement and £614m in wastewater collection and treatment systems.

WYG will be replacing a combined sewer overflow chamber, associated pipework and outfall structures. The project is anticipated to be completed in December 2011.