This major regional project involved the simultaneous upgrade of three distinct water treatment plants—Ardan, Clonaslee, and Birr—to resolve long-standing water quality risks for 23,500 consumers. Jennings O’Donovan and AECOM provided a full suite of engineering services to deliver a sustainable supply of quality drinking water across the Tullamore and Birr Water Supply Schemes. The project represents a sophisticated solution to modernizing aging infrastructure while maintaining uninterrupted service to a large population.
The Ardan (Tullamore North) WTP was developed as a new 5,900m³/d facility, supported by two new groundwater production boreholes and a 2,500m³ treated water storage reservoir. At Clonaslee (Tullamore South), the existing plant was upgraded to a capacity of 1,350m³/d, which included the optimization and upgrade of six existing groundwater sources. The Birr WTP phase involved the demolition of the old plant to make way for a new 3,600m³/d facility and a 2,000m³ reservoir, built directly on the original footprint.
A primary challenge of this scheme was the requirement to construct and commission complex new treatment facilities on “live” sites. This required meticulous planning and contract administration to ensure that existing water quality and supply levels were never compromised during the transition. The three plants were successfully phased into service between July and December 2021.
Following the successful delivery of these upgrades, the partnership was re-appointed in 2023 to further investigate groundwater sources and network improvements. This ongoing work aims to future-proof the Tullamore and Rahan supply areas, ensuring capacity for continued regional growth.
