Innovation at Uisce Éireann
We are driving innovation in the water sector within our own organisation and through collaboration with third parties, including our supply chain, Research Providing Organisations and Industry.
We want to achieve a culture of innovation and collaboration in the water services sector to enable a sustainable future for Ireland.
Uisce Éireann innovation process
Standards and Specifications
Continuously improving and updating our standards and specifications can serve as a platform for sharing best practices and innovation in sustainability. This knowledge exchange can accelerate the adoption of effective solutions across Uisce Éireann.
The Water Services Innovation Fund
The Water Services Innovation Fund allows Uisce Éireann to invest in innovative projects designed to deliver benefits for customers.
The Water Services Innovation Fund was created with the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities and enables Uisce Éireann to invest funding in innovative projects and explore novel technologies and operating arrangements that are designed to deliver benefits for customers.
Investing in innovative projects
Improved operating arrangements
Exploring and researching novel technologies
Project objectives
These innovative projects must be designed to further at least one of the following objectives:
- Provision of safe, secure, and reliable water services
- Increased understanding of customer behaviours and their drivers and effective customer engagement
- Enhanced energy savings in the provision of water services
- Achievement of relevant environmental standards and the objectives of the Water Framework Directive
- Mitigation of negative climate change impacts
- Provision of water services in an economic and efficient manner
- Improved conservation of water resources
Our innovation ambition
Our innovation ambition is underpinned by the Government's Water Services Policy Statement. This sets out key principles and policy objectives across the key thematic areas of quality, conservation and futureproofing between now and 2025.
Water Services Innovation Fund Projects
In progress
In progress
This project seeks to validate whether Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) grown within dedicated Uisce Éireann AGS Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) can be used in non-AGS WWTPs to improve treatment performance.
Completed end of 2024, close out report is due in 2025.
In progress
The aim of this project is to generate a state-of-the-art literature review and conceptual model of Irish alluvial deposits, pulling together the findings of published studies with the contents of the database to establish conceptual models of the hydrogeology of Irish alluvial and associated glaciofluvial deposits. The second stage of the project will seek to explore borehole drilling that will align with the Supply Demand Balance programme and capacity related projects.
Estimated completion – Mid 2026.
In progress
Investigate the Kaumera production and applications opportunity to generate valuable by-product from wastewater sludge. This project is currently on hold as Uisce Éireann is investigating wider circular economy priorities and approach.
In progress
This project was created to establish the concept of STRBs to dewater alum sludges providing a low-cost sustainable solution. It sought to develop an understanding of the physical and chemical properties of processed sludge and investigate potential Circular Economy opportunities for this product.
Estimated completion – Mid 2025.
In progress
This project will seek to identify catchment-based risk profiles that will inform source protection measures. A desired outcome of the project would be to determine the most appropriate level of treatment required for Cryptosporidium removal / inactivation at an individual site level, avoiding investing in treatment for low-risk supplies and thereby informing environmentally sustainable future investment cycles.
Estimated completion – Mid 2025.
In progress
This project has been approved for CRU WSIF funding and will be undertaken by Uisce Éireann, in partnership with University of Galway. The project will look to further develop opportunities to employ Nature Based Solutions (NBS), having regard to advantages over conventional mechanical wastewater treatment systems. Current knowledge and practice limit the opportunities for NBS deployment for wastewater treatment due to the approach taken to settling Emission Limit Values (ELVs) based on effluent concentration limits and also as there is currently a limited application of NBS solutions for wastewater treatment in Ireland.
Estimated completion – End of 2026.
In progress
This project will establish the design envelope for surface treatment wetlands targeting phosphorus removal and delivery of the compatible co-benefit of carbon sequestration, as well as provide recommendations for their design, operation, and maintenance.
Uisce Éireann has partnered with Cranfield University and various UK water/wastewater utilities & regulator (Thames Water, Anglian Water, Welsh Water, Yorkshire Water, Northumbrian Water, United Utilities, UK Environment Agency (EA)) to deliver this project.
Estimated completion – End 2026.
Complete
Complete
The objective of this project was to research and understand Customers' needs and expectations, including how customers wish to engage with us. The project identified technical and engagement solutions in use by comparable organisations. An outage notification service for planned and unplanned events for our domestic customers and any interested organisations that wish to avail of this service was found to be the most viable solution, including an:
- Opt-in function via webform using Eircode and mobile phone number.
- Opt-out facility through SMS and the webpage.
Upon a water event impacting a signed-up individual and their registered Eircode, SMS communications are now being issued.
The service has recently been launched and was supported by a national promotion campaign.
A close out report on this is planned for Q1 of 2025.
We are also looking at options to further enhance the SMS notification service offering.
Complete
Investigate technologies appropriate to the metering of multi-unit developments or 'MUDs' (such as apartment blocks).
Complete
Promote sustainable household water consumption by building an evidence base for future water conservation programmes.
Complete
Identify the catchments in Ireland most sensitive to climate change from a water resources/drought perspective by developing & applying an innovative assessment methodology.
Complete
This project aims to characterise trade effluent from industry sectors in Ireland that produce high risk trade effluent (the food and drinks, waste, and pharma-chemical sectors) and to identify markers that Uisce Éireann can use to monitor its network for trade effluent from these industries.
Complete
This project will investigate and pilot the potential benefits of deploying advanced, highly sensitive, cloud based Acoustic Logging (AL) networks () within the GDA to inform a potential transformational change in Uisce Éireann's Find and Fix strategy.
Complete
This collaborative research project with a number of UK water/wastewater utilities assessed the range of techniques applicable to manhole inspection and rehabilitation, to develop best practice and provide industry specifications to improve the operational efficiency via their use.
Due to commercial sensitivity of this project, we are unable to publish the research outputs.
Complete
This collaborative research project between Uisce Éireann, a number of UK water/wastewater utilities and Cranfield University looked at the use of treatment wetlands for the removal of phosphorus. The project focused on summarising the available evidence base to act as common ground for industry-wide evaluation.
Due to the commercial sensitivity of this project, we are unable to make the project report public. However, a publicly available framework (infographic) was developed which focused on the use of surface flow treatment wetlands for phosphorus removal.