*Parteen Basin.
UISCE ÉIREANN have lodged plans for the State’s largest-ever water project which will see water drained from the Parteen Basin on the River Shannon to supply the capital.
A budget between €4.58bn and €5.96bn has been estimated by Uisce Éireann who intend to start construction in 2028 if successful with their planning application. They state that the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region can be completed within five years.
Over 500 documents are included with the Strategic Infrastructure Development planning application and Compulsory Purchase Order application submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Water will be abstracted from the Parteen Basin, upstream of Parteen Weir on the Lower River Shannon. According to the planning documents, a maximum of 2% of the long-term average flow at Parteen Basin will be utilised in the abstraction.
It is proposed that the water will be treated near Killaloe and Birdhill, treated water will then be piped 170km through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area water distribution network. This will supply Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a safe water supply. At present, the River Liffey supplies 85% of the water requirements for 1.7 million people in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.
It will also create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country, providing infrastructure with the capacity for future offtakes to serve communities along the route in Tipperary, Offaly, and Westmeath. In addition, the project will enable supplies currently serving Dublin to be redirected back to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow.
Communities in the coming weeks and months will be visited by a dedicated project Community Liaison Officer to meet with local stakeholders and sharing further information on the project. Landowner Liaison Officers will also continue to provide impacted landowners with a dedicated point of contact for the project.
At peak construction, the project will employ more than 1,000 people directly. Uisce Éireann is proposing a bespoke Community Benefit Scheme as part of the Water Supply Project, to support communities that will host construction activities and permanent infrastructure. This includes a multi-million Euro Community Gain Investment Fund, which has been developed in collaboration with local authorities along the route, and will directly support economic, environmental and educational community development initiatives, throughout construction of the project.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin (FF) has been contacted by the River Shannon Protection Alliance (RSPA) arguing there are multiple economic, social and environmental reasons why the plan should not go ahead.
Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers (FF) TD said, “The submission of this planning application for the Water Supply Project to An Coimisiún Pleanála is a major milestone that will unlock housing in the Eastern and Midlands Region. This project is a vital piece of infrastructure to support Ireland’s development, not alone in the delivery of new homes for young people, families and workers in our economy, but to sustain businesses and communities right through the Midlands and Eastern region of our country”.
Speaking about the project, Maria O’Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director at Uisce Éireann said, “The need is clear – the growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience in the Eastern & Midlands Region is simply not sustainable. It is estimated 34% more water will be needed by 2044 in the Greater Dublin Area. This project is critical to enable us to support housing delivery and is backed by the Government’s continued funding commitment. Over the coming months we will continue to engage with potential contractors and progress the procurement process so that, subject to the planning approval, works can be mobilised as quickly and efficiently as possible”.
