Major €10m boost for Thomastown and Inistioge water supply

The south Kilkenny towns of Thomastown and Inistioge are to see a €10 million investment from Irish Water to upgrade their existing water supply schemes.

A contract has now been signed with Ward and Burke Construction Ltd, and the work is expected to take 18 months to complete. It’s expected the project will provide a safer, more reliable, and secure water supply for the 4,000 or so customers in both areas.

This scheme will target water quality and supply issues in the Inistioge area. It will enable the removal of the Inistioge supply from the EPA’s Remedial Action List.

The works also enhances the supply and treatment capacity at Thomastown. The work includes the upgrade of the Thomastown Water Treatment Plant and the construction of new reservoirs at Thomastown and Inistioge. It will involve the construction of 17.6km of new water mains linking Inistioge with the existing Thomastown Water Supply Scheme to replace the existing surface water source in Inistioge.

“We are very pleased to be progressing with this project in Kilkenny, which represents an investment of €10 million by Irish Water,” said Lisa Cogan of Irish Water.

“When it is complete, residents, businesses and the agricultural community in Thomastown, Inistioge and the surrounding rural areas will benefit from better drinking water quality, reduced disruptions to supply, improved security of supply and water pressure. The work will enable the removal of the Inistioge scheme from the EPA’s Remedial Action List by replacing the supply with a more sustainable supply.”

The project will include construction of approximately 17.6km of new trunk mains and rising mains; the development of new/existing borewells in the townland of Grennan; construction of a new 1.3 million litre reservoir, at Thomastown; upgrade of treatment facilities at Thomastown; construction of a new 560,000 litre reservoir in the townland of Kilmacshane, Inistioge.

It will also see the construction of a new booster pumping station at Kilcross; upgrade works at the Ballygub reservoir and decommissioning of existing water treatment plant; and the upgrading of existing booster station at Woodstock, Inistioge.

Irish Water has said it, and the project team, will work closely with the local community to minimise the impact on residents, businesses and road users while the work is under way. The project team will also ensure that householders and businesses are advised of any works in their area in advance and will be given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs.

For additional information, customers can contact the Irish Water customer care line at 1850 278 278 or go to the service and supply section of the Irish Water website at https://www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-and-service-update/.