Uisce Éireann publishes public consultation submissions report on major project

Uisce Éireann has today published a Submissions Report for the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region following public consultation earlier this year.

This is a once in a generation project and is the first major ‘new source’ water infrastructure in the region in the last 60 years. It will deliver a safe, secure, sustainable source of water supply necessary to support our growing population and economy, including the demand for housing. It is also a project that will enable us to adapt to the effects of climate change by diversifying our water supply sources.

Uisce Éireann received valuable feedback, with over 120 submissions in response to a non-statutory public consultation for the project, which ran for eight weeks in Spring. The Non-Statutory Consultation Submissions Report summarises the views shared, including perspectives on the project’s benefits, infrastructure components, environmental considerations, and construction approach.

As part of the consultation process, Uisce Éireann hosted six public information open days at key locations along the route in Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare, in addition to online webinars. The consultation provided stakeholders, interested parties, landowners and the public with an opportunity to give feedback on the Proposed Project and, where appropriate, this feedback has been used to inform the design and accompanying environmental reports, in advance of the submission of a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanála later this year.

The Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region proposes to abstract water from Parteen Basin, upstream of Parteen Weir on the Lower River Shannon, utilising a maximum of 2% of the long term average flow at Parteen Basin. It is proposed that the water will be treated near Birdhill, Co Tipperary and 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.

The project will develop a new, climate-resilient, long-term water source to meet the demands of a growing population and economy, including the need for housing, as well as enabling us to adapt to the effects of climate change by diversifying our water supply sources. This essential project will provide Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a resilient, safe, secure water supply. 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, it will enable supplies currently serving Dublin to be redirected back to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow, providing security of supply to homes and businesses, which will support growth and regional development.

Speaking about the Consultation Submissions Report, Senior Programme Manager at Uisce Éireann, Gary Gibson said, “Water supply in the Eastern and Midlands region faces a number of serious challenges, notably the over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin Area. With forecasts showing that the region will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available today, this combination of a growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience is simply not sustainable. The publication of this submissions report is another major milestone towards the delivery of this essential infrastructure. We would like to thank the stakeholders, landowners and communities who engaged with us during the consultation process; the feedback received has been instrumental in shaping the next phase of the project.”

The public consultation submissions report can be viewed at https://www.water.ie/projects/national-projects/water-supply-project-east-1/publications