IRISH WATER HAS published details of its preferred route for a new pipeline that will provide water for 40% of the country’s population up to 2050.
The 170km pipeline will bring water from the River Shannon to the eastern and midlands regions.
The Water Supply Project will run from Parteen Basin in Co Tipperary, with water treatment nearby at Birdhill, to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in south county Dublin.
Counties to be supplied include Clare, Tipperary, Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Kildare, Meath and Dublin.
The scheme is expected to be completed by 2024 at a cost of up to €900 million.
Irish Water is holding public consultations over the next 14 weeks to seek feedback on the proposed development and to seek views on what should be considered in the Environment Impact Statement which will accompany a planning application to An Bord Pleanála in late 2017.
In a statement released today, Irish Water said the scheme is “the first major new water source upgrade for the eastern and midlands region in over 60 years”.
While significant progress has been made in relation to water savings from leakage reductions and water conservation initiatives, these savings alone will not meet the long term needs of the region which will require an additional 330 million litres of water per day by 2050, the equivalent of 125 Olympic-sized swimming pools per day.
“The maximum sustainable production of treated water from existing water sources and infrastructure within the region does not have the capacity, resilience or connectivity to meet future demand.”
More information on the project can be read here.
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