What Irish Water does

Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) is Ireland's national water utility, established in 2013 and rebranded to its Irish-language name in 2023. It is the sole statutory provider of public water supply and wastewater services across the Republic of Ireland, operating under the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency and in compliance with EU Drinking Water Regulations S.I. No. 99/2023. The utility serves residential households, businesses, and public institutions through a national network of treatment plants, reservoirs, and pipelines, with major operational assets including the Vartry Water Supply Scheme (serving 200,000 people in North Wicklow and South Dublin) and the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant (serving over 620,000 people in the Greater Dublin Area). Customer-facing services include vulnerable customer registers, an SMS alert service for supply interruptions, an online water quality results portal, lead pipe replacement schemes, and public health notice systems (Boil Water, Do Not Consume, Contact Time).

The company's core technology stack consists of conventional water and wastewater treatment processes — chlorination, UV disinfection, coagulation, pH correction, and advanced filtration — combined with a regulatory-grade monitoring programme that tests over 100 parameters per supply zone. Core capital programmes include the €500 million-plus Water for Growth Programme (30 coordinated projects over 10 years for the Eastern Region), the €150 million Vartry upgrade, and the €64 million Leixlip upgrade. The utility is identified in third-party market analysis as targeting smart water network infrastructure as a future growth direction, though specific digitisation capabilities are not detailed in the available source material.

Uisce Éireann is a state-owned designated activity company limited by shares, registered in Ireland (No. 530363), headquartered at Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. Its revenue model is structurally distinct from a commercial enterprise: residential water in Ireland is provided without direct metered household charges, and the utility is funded through Irish government exchequer allocations and its own capital investment programmes. Commercial connection fees and business service pricing are not publicly disclosed in the source material. The company employs 1,001–5,000 staff and operates with a partnership model that is deeply embedded in Irish public administration, working with the EPA, HSE, Department of Housing, and local authorities on regulatory compliance, public health response, and infrastructure delivery.

Name

Irish Water

Legal name

Uisce Éireann

Website

https://water.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) is Ireland's sole statutory national water utility, providing public water and wastewater services to households, businesses, and public institutions across the Republic of Ireland, funded by government exchequer allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Delivery, Asset Management & Renewal Programs (Pipes, Plants, Pumps) (EUANAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Sourcing & Abstraction (Surface Water, Groundwater, Intake Works) (EUANAAAA), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Water & Wastewater Utility IoT (SCADA, Leak/Quality Monitoring) (EUADAPAK), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Wastewater treatment
• Drinking water testing
• Public water supply
• Water infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) is Ireland's national water utility, providing public water supply and wastewater services to residential households, businesses, and public institutions throughout the country. The utility operates the national water treatment and distribution infrastructure — including the Water for Growth Programme (€500M+, 30 projects), the Vartry Water Supply Scheme (€150M), and the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Upgrade (€64M) — and delivers supporting services such as the Water Quality Results Portal, Drinking Water Testing Programme, SMS outage alerts, vulnerable customer registers, and lead pipe replacement. Residential supply is provided without direct household charges; commercial connections and business services generate separate fee-based revenue, all funded through government exchequer allocations and capital investment programmes.

Product overview

Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) is Ireland's national water utility providing water and wastewater services throughout the country. The company's core offering is a unified water services platform encompassing water supply infrastructure, treatment, and delivery to homes, communities, and businesses. The portfolio includes major capital investment programmes such as the Water for Growth Programme (€500 million, 30 projects), water supply schemes like Vartry (€150 million upgrade), and treatment plant upgrades including Leixlip (€64 million). Supporting services include vulnerable customer registers, SMS alert notifications, water quality monitoring portals, drinking water testing, lead pipe replacement schemes, and various water notice systems (Boil Water, Do Not Consume, Contact Time). The company operates as a designated activity company, limited by shares, registered in Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water for Growth Programme A major capital investment programme for the Eastern Region (Greater Dublin Area) with over €500 million initial investment, coordinating 30 projects over 10 years to strengthen the water supply network and support regional growth.
• Vartry Water Supply Scheme Water supply scheme serving over 200,000 people in North Wicklow and South Dublin, upgraded with a new €150 million treatment plant, new pipeline, and new covered reservoir to secure clean water supply.
• Leixlip Water Treatment Plant Upgrade €64 million upgrade at Ireland's second largest water treatment facility, supplying water to more than 620,000 people across the Greater Dublin Area.
• Water Quality Results Portal Online portal allowing customers to search water quality test results back to 2014 using over 100 parameters for their water supply zone, in compliance with EU Drinking Water Regulations S.I. No. 99/2023.
• Drinking Water Testing Programme Comprehensive water testing programme covering bacteria/protozoa (E.coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Enterococci, Clostridium Perfringens, Total Coliforms, Colony Count), chemicals, metals, and other parameters in compliance with EU Drinking Water Regulations S.I. No. 99/2023, with annual reporting to the EPA.
• Water Service SMS Alert Service Free text alert service notifying customers of planned and unplanned water supply issues lasting more than 4 hours, using mobile number and Eircode registration.
• Special Services Register Register for vulnerable customers (aged 66+, blind, deaf, hard of hearing, mobility difficulties, intellectual disability, or mental health difficulty) providing text/phone notifications for water interruptions over 4 hours.
• Priority Services Register Register for customers critically dependent on water due to medical conditions, providing advance notifications of planned disruptions and unplanned interruptions over 4 hours.
• Lead Pipe Replacement Scheme Free replacement of lead public service connection pipes for qualifying customers who have replaced their lead private supply pipe, as part of the Leakage Reduction Programme.
• Boil Water Notice System Notice issued when harmful bacteria are found in a water supply, providing instructions for boiling water to make it safe to drink, in consultation with the HSE.
• Do Not Consume Notice System Notice issued when water supply is contaminated and boiling will not make it safe, with alternative water provision through tankers and bottled water.
• Contact Time Notice System Notice issued when chlorine disinfection process has not had sufficient contact time to ensure water safety, as part of the National Disinfection Programme.
• Water and Wastewater Business Services Development and delivery of water and wastewater services to businesses in Ireland, including new connection applications, commercial supply management, and wastewater treatment for commercial operations.
• New Connections Service Application process for new water services connections for homes, businesses, and developments in Ireland, managed through water.ie/connections.
• Water Stewardship for SMEs Programme Fully funded water stewardship programme for small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland, supporting responsible water use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water for Growth programme: Over €500M initial investment, 30 coordinated projects, delivered over 10 years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUisce Éireann works closely with the EPA on water quality regulation, compliance monitoring, and reporting. The EPA publishes the Remedial Action List of at-risk water supplies and Uisce Éireann must submit action plans to the EPA for each listed supply. Uisce Éireann also collaborates with the EPA on catchment protection for pesticide exceedances and environmental safeguards for infrastructure projects.
• Irish Housing Minister / Department of HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUisce Éireann collaborates with the Irish Housing Minister, James Browne, on regulatory changes to accelerate smaller and provincial housing development by establishing a registration system for low-volume wastewater systems. The initiative aims for the new system to be operational by early 2026.
• Cricket IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCricket Ireland partnered with Uisce Éireann for the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), where Uisce Éireann is named as a partner supporting cricket franchises in Ireland including the Irish Wolves franchise co-owned by Glenn Maxwell. This is a sports sponsorship/marketing partnership.
• Health Service Executive (HSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUisce Éireann is required to consult the HSE on all drinking water exceedances where there is a possible risk to public health. The HSE advises on Boil Water Notices, Do Not Consume Notices, and other public health actions. This is a statutory public health collaboration integral to water quality incident response.
• Local authorities (city/county councils)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority teams take water samples from homes and businesses on behalf of Uisce Éireann for regulatory compliance testing. Local authorities are responsible for enforcement and monitoring at the local level under the EU Drinking Water Regulations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DC Water: Public utility providing water and wastewater services to the District of Columbia and surrounding jurisdictions. Comparable as a public-utility model with an aging infrastructure base, EPA-adjacent regulatory exposure, and multi-billion capital programmes (e.g., Clean Rivers).
• Severn Trent: Listed UK water and wastewater utility serving ~4.6 million households and businesses across the Midlands. Comparable as a regulated national/regional water operator with large-scale capital investment programmes (AMP) and explicit regulatory oversight by Ofwat, mirroring Irish Water's EPA framework.
• United Utilities: Largest listed UK water company serving ~7 million customers in the North West of England. Comparable in monopoly utility status, capital-intensive asset base, household metering, and large multi-year capital investment cycles.
• EPCOR Utilities: Canadian water, wastewater, and electricity utility serving communities across Alberta and the Southwestern US. Comparable as a multi-utility operator with water at the core, public-affiliate governance, and significant capital programmes for treatment-plant upgrades and growth.
• Thames Water: UK water utility serving ~15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley. Comparable in scale and as a regulated water-only (no household retail competition) monopoly with extensive legacy Victorian infrastructure facing major renewal capex.
• Anglian Water: UK regional water and wastewater utility serving ~4.6 million customers across the East of England. Highly comparable to Irish Water in regulated monopoly status, capital-intensive infrastructure modernisation programmes, and household-billing-dependent revenue model.
• Scottish Water: State-owned national water utility for Scotland, accountable to the Scottish Government. The closest structural analogue to Irish Water as a publicly owned, non-listed monopoly water and wastewater operator.

Regional players

• Sydney Water: Australian state-owned water and wastewater utility serving Greater Sydney. Comparable as a publicly owned national utility, but operating under Australian regulatory environment rather than Irish/EU framework.

Broad incumbents

• American Water: Largest publicly traded US water and wastewater utility, serving ~14 million people across 14 states. Comparable in regulated utility status, capital-intensive rate-base growth model, and aging-infrastructure replacement, but private-listed rather than state-owned.
• Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-treatment technology and services arm of Veolia; directly relevant as a supplier of treatment technologies, SCADA, and digital water platforms that Irish Water references (chlorination, UV, coagulation, advanced filtration, leak monitoring).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/irishwater
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTu1kv6_Kst3YoUUhgQqr8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/IrishWater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-water
• Instagraminstagram.com/uisce_eireann
• TikToktiktok.com/@uisce_eireann_official

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irish Water