Plan to bring water from River Shannon to Dublin moves forward
An ambitious plan by Uisce Éireann to pipe water from the River Shannon to Dublin as a means of improving the water supply to the capital is moving forward with a series of public information consultation events scheduled to take place between now and March 4 next.
The cornerstone of the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region is a proposed 170km pipeline which will run through the Midlands and bring treated water from Parteen Basin in county Tipperary to a termination point reservoir in Dublin. If it gets the go ahead, it will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the State with the capacity to address water supply needs for up to 50% of the State's population.
Uisce Éireann will submit a planning application for the marathon project to An Bord Pleanála at the end of the public consultation period.
In addition to improving the water supply in Dublin, it's also planned that the project will create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country, providing infrastructure with the capacity for future offtakes to serve communities along the route in a number of counties, including towns in Westmeath.
The project is expected to have major implications for stakeholders, landowners and communities along the 170km route, including farming communities across large parts of the Midlands.
In advance of the consultation period, Uisce Éireann is inviting the public to view the consultation material online at: water.ie/watersupplyproject where submissions can also be made.
Uisce Éireann has said the project to extract water from the Shannon is necessary due to over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin Area. They have predicted that the region will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available at present.
The company has said it is looking forward to engaging with “stakeholders, landowners and communities along the route” during the upcoming consultation period between now and March 4 in order to provide them with more information and an opportunity to provide feedback.