Infrastructure
Go to this page
Murphy completed the construction of a new water treatment plant at Leixlip Co. Kildare, in addition to extensive upgrading of the existing plant and an ‘integration’ package to bring both plants under a single operating system.
The project brief was to provide additional capacity of 80ml per day, taking the total capacity to just over 250ml per day, enough to provide approximately 30 per cent of all the drinking water needs of the Greater Dublin area. Work had to be completed without any disruption to the operation of the existing plant, a significant challenge as the water intake capacity had to be more than doubled.
A new intake pumping station was constructed to allow the existing raw water supply to feed both the existing and new plants. New, higher capacity screens were installed in the River Liffey using a process developed by Murphy to ensure no disruption to drinking water supplies.
Following completion of the new plant, integration works were undertaken to combine the operations of the two plants and all staff were trained on the new, site-wide System Control Acquisition of Data Analysis (SCADA) system.
Murphy led the multi-disciplinary team, integrating the civil design and construction, and the installation and integration of new and upgraded facilities. This included liaising with Irish Water, Fingal County Council and the Irish Fisheries Department. The project was completed on time and on budget despite the constraints of operating in a river and reservoir environment with extensive public access and leisure use.
Continued, uninterrupted operation of the existing plant, whilst new facilities were built nearby, was an imperative in order that drinking water supplies were not interrupted.
The new construction works had to be completed prior to the existing plant being upgraded and finally the operation of both plants was integrated to operate as a single entity. Works included:
The contract was completed under the Public Works Conditions of Contract and there were no contractual disputes at any time. The project was completed on time and on budget.
Careful planning of site and delivery logistics meant there was minimal disruption to public enjoyment of the river and reservoir environment throughout the project.
MPE designed the new sludge handling conveyor system in stainless steel for maximum reliability and, to date, it has operated without failure.
The replacement of the drum screens had to be completed in such a way as to not cause any interruption to drinking water supplies. Murphy designed and programmed the installation in conjunction with the client and appropriate statutory bodies, completing the work as planned so that intake water supply was restricted for the minimum amount of time.
