Uisce Éireann has confirmed to Agriland that 500 landowners will be impacted by a proposed 170km pipeline to bring water from the River Shannon to Dublin.
The pipeline is one of the three elements in the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the State.
The project today (Tuesday, June 25) received Cabinet approval in principle under the infrastructure guidelines, meaning that it can now proceed to planning.
With a current estimated cost of up to €6 billion, the proposed development will have the capacity to ensure secure water supplies for up to 50% of the country’s population.
River Shannon
At present, Uisce Éireann takes about 40% of the average flow of the River Liffey to supply 85% of the water requirements for 1.7 million people in the greater Dublin area.
It said that this dependence on the Liffey results in a “serious vulnerability” to risks such as prolonged drought or contamination.
The Water Supply Project proposes to abstract 2% of the average flow of the River Shannon, at Parteen Basin, which the utility said is similar to “taking a teaspoon out of a pint glass of water”.
The water will be directed through a new water treatment plant to be built on 12ha at Birdhill, Co. Tipperary.
A 170km pipeline will then take the treated water through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in Dublin, where it will connect to the water network.
Along with providing water to Dublin; Meath; Kildare and Wicklow, Uisce Éireann said that a “treated water supply spine” would be created across the regions to serve towns on the route.
The utility noted that the project will not replace the current supply arrangement, but will support it.
Uisce Éireann chief executive Niall Gleeson said that the project is critical for the future of the country.
“By delivering a secure, climate-proof supply of water for up to 50% of the State’s population it will facilitate increased demand for housing, enable sustainable economic growth and support competitiveness across the region.
“Crucially it will also help us meet the challenges of climate change by diversifying our water supplies to ensure safe, resilient water services for communities across the region, and reduce the vulnerability to drought and other extreme weather events,” he said.
Uisce Éireann is hoping to submit a planning application for the project to An Bórd Pleanála in 2025, while construction is expected to take up to 5 years.
However, this timeframe could be impacted by any potential planning objections.
Uisce Éireann said that it is working to reduce leakage in the water network in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath to 20% by 2023.
It added that fixing leaks would not be sufficient to deal with “a growing water supply deficit” in the regions.
Landowners
Uisce Éireann has said that there has been “extensive” engagement with landowners and the public on the Water Supply Project.
The utility is planning a fifth round of consultation later this year to allow for further feedback on the project.
It said that a dedicated liaison team has engaged over 20 times with each of the 500 landowners to date.
Sean Laffey, director of asset management Uisce Éireann, told Agriland that about 90% of landowners on the route of the pipeline have granted access for survey works to be completed.
He said that if the project secures planning permission they may have to consider Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the remaining 10% of landowners.
However, he stressed that the preference of Uisce Éireann is to “go the voluntary route”.
The utility has also been working with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) on issues such as compensation and access on behalf of farmers.
During construction of the pipeline a 50m wide wayleave or corridor on the lands will be required, this will reduce to 25m upon completion.
Angela Ryan, asset strategy senior manager Uisce Éireann, said that “full agricultural use” of lands will be restored once works are completed.
“That 25m wide wayleave just means you can’t build immediate above the pipeline, but aside from that there’s no real impact to farmland,” she said.