New Portlaoise water link not guaranteed in €1.3 billion Shannon Dublin pipeline project

Portlaoise will potentially get water from the River Shannon under a €1.3 billion Irish Water project to supply water to Dublin a big part of Leinster via new pipelines, under a new plan.

Irish Water has adopted its Regional Water Resources Plan – Eastern and Midlands (RWRP-EM). The plan will see 333 million litres of water taken from Parteen Basin below Lough Derg and pumped along a 174km pipe via a pump station at Birdhill to a new reservoir outside Dublin which will feed the Greater Dublin Area as well as counties Kildare, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Laois, Galway, Clare, Limeick, Cavan, Carlow, Longford, Roscommon, Kilkenny, Meath.

The estimated cost of construction is estimated to be more than €1.3 bn.

There are 14 key towns in the Eastern and Midlands region, which are, Athlone, Carlow, Ennis, Limerick, Nenagh, Tullamore, Portlaoise, Naas, Maynooth, Navan, Drogheda, Swords, Bray and Wicklow.

Irish Water has published a huge amount of document to support the ambitions project  which it says will safeguard public health, support growth and meet the challenges of climate change across the East and Midlands region over the next 25 years. 

While Portlaoise may be identified as a key town a summary graphic published by the water company says it could be linked into the new network of water mains that will distribute the Shannon water via a so-called, 'potential new sustainability connection'.

The Laois county town is the only such location on the map as being listed for potential connection.

Irish Water says its National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) is Ireland’s first 25-year strategic plan that will enable a move towards a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable public water supplies for all of customers and communities, whilst safeguarding public health and the environment. 

It says that following on from the adoption of the NWRP draft Framework Plan and associated reports in 2021, the NWRP was split into 4 separate regional plans and following a public consultation on the first regional plan, the RWRP-EM has been updated and adopted by Irish Water along with a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Statement and an Appropriate Assessment Determination. 

Máiréad Conlon is the Regional Water Treatment Planning Specialist with Irish Water. 

“Safeguarding Ireland’s precious water resources is a top priority for Irish Water. With increasing pressure to meet the current demand for water as a result of population growth, climate change, and our changing environmental regulations, it is essential that we plan ahead. The Regional Water Resources Plan – Eastern and Midlands will enable us to do that in a sustainable way, whilst also supporting economic development and population growth across the region.

“How we choose to plan our water resources today will determine the water supply we can provide now and into the future. The Three Pillar approach of ‘Use Less’, ‘Lose Less’ and ‘Supply Smarter’ allows Irish Water to consider the broadest possible range of solutions through the development of the regional plans. We would like to thank everyone who made a submission to the consultation process on the first of our regional plans for the East and Midlands, which has now been adopted,” she said.

There were 64 submissions received in total, including responses from the Office of the Planning Regulator, the Southern Regional Assembly and local authorities in relation to national and regional policy for growth and development.

The public consultation ran from 14 December 2021 to 8 April 2022. Printed copies of the public consultation materials were available for public display in 29 local authority offices and at two county libraries for the duration of the consultation period. Irish Water also facilitated webinars for interested members of the public and both webinars and in-person briefings for elected representatives.

Irish Water says a consultation report summarising feedback received during the public consultation, along with the RWRP-EM and all associated reports, can be viewed and downloaded at https://www.water.ie/rwrp/eastern-midlands. 

Alternatively, the Irish Water team can be contacted at nwrp@water.ie or 1840 46 36 76, by those who may wish to view the RWRP-EM, AA Determination and SEA statement at one of their offices.