Project details

Aerial view of Poulaphouca
Photo courtesy of esb.ie

You will be given a map of the lakes at Blessington, Co. Wicklow, also known as Poulaphouca.

These lakes are man made and were created in the 1940s by the ESB to generate electricity.
They are also used as a reservoir to supply water to the adjoining water treatment plant at Ballymore Eustace. This plant supplies water to approximately 1.4 million people in Dublin and surrounding areas.
Last October the city of Dublin was affected due to problems treating the water coming from the reservoir at Poulaphouca. At present there is a lot of controversy regarding future water charges. Irish Water are currently supplying water meters to each household in the country, with charges due to take effect in 2015.

Image courtesy of capturecommerce.com

Your challenge is to

1. Find the area of the lakes at Blessington (highlighted area of lakes north of the R578) using any suitable method. 
2. If the average depth of the lakes are 5m, what is the capacity of the lakes on an average day? (Give your answer in litres). 
3. If the water flows from the lakes to the water treatment plant at a rate of 1.5m3 per second, how long would it take to empty the lakes? (Give your answer in hours).
4. If the cost of the treated water is 10c per litre, what would the cost be to a household who use the capacity of this lake in a year?

Notes

• Please look at the hints section before you start
• Look at the marking scheme that shows you what is required for your project
• If you need any materials to help you, please bring them in yourself or ask me in advance of class.