Northern Ireland Water has announced that a £2 million improvement project at Lough Island Reavy Reservoir in Kilcoo, County Down, is progressing as planned. The work focuses on replacing the overflow spillway, which is crucial for reservoir safety, particularly during heavy rainfall.
The site includes two pumping stations that supply water to the Drumaroad and Fofanny Water Treatment Works. The upgrades will enhance the supply to the Drumaroad station, which serves customers in County Down and Belfast. Currently, the reservoir’s output can limit water flow to both treatment plants during peak demand. The completed improvements will eliminate these restrictions, ensuring a steady supply even during high-demand situations. The project is expected to be finished by March 2025.
“NI Water is committed to the highest standards of reservoir safety and management and we are progressing with this key programme of maintenance and refurbishment work at Lough Island Reavy to future-proof this impounding reservoir, which plays a critical role in the storage of raw water for future supply to our customers,” said Mark Richardson, NI Water’s Senior Project Manager. “The overall programme of work, which involves improvements at 36 key reservoirs across the province, is essential to maintain water supply as well as ensuring compliance with reservoir safety legislation.
“Security of supply is key and the improvements will be particularly important to deliver additional water to our customers during a high demand or other extreme weather emergency situation.”
The project includes refurbishing control valves, installing drainage systems, repairing spillway structures, and upgrading monitoring equipment. The work is being carried out by BSG and managed by AECOM.
