Irish Water is planning a major upgrade to the Galway City Water Supply Scheme with multi-million improvements to the intake system from River Corrib to Terryland Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Planning permission is being sought for new raw intake works for the city water supply scheme on the banks of the River Corrib 100m downstream from the Quincentenary Bridge, and other upgrades to the water transfer system.
The project will also involve the laying of pipework to connect the intake works to the Terryland Wastewater Treatment Plant, and new rising and transfer water mains to bring treated water from the the WWTP to the existing rising main on the east bank of the Corrib.
The new mains will be a series of underground gravity fed mains passing underneath Terryland parkland, the N6 approaching the Quincentenary Bridge, and Terryland River.
A new slipway at the intake works on the Corrib will also have to be constructed according to Irish Water, as well as a control building, a new access road from the Dyke Road, and a floating boom stretching 5m into the river.
Irish Water said that these upgrade works were commissioned by the city council to meet existing and future demands on the Galway City Water Supply Scheme after raw water shortages at the existing intake works in August and October 2014.
Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers produced a report for the council which recommended relocating and expanding the intake to a site downstream of the Quincentenary Bridge.
In 2007 the old Terryland WWTP was decommissioned and replaced with a new plant which has the capacity to treat 55 million litres of water a day.
However the current intake can only process 46 million litres a day. According to Irish Water the new intake is designed with an abstraction of 55 million litres to match the WWTP.
A Natura Impact Statement was submitted with the planning application which said that this project would not impact on Lough Corrib or Galway Bay areas of conservation.
Public submissions concerning this project can be made to the city council by until May 15. The council is due to render a decision on granting planning permission by June 5
