Public consultation on plan to pipe water through Offaly to Dublin

Public consultation events are due to take place in Tullamore and Birr later this month on a hugely-ambitious plan by Uisce Éireann to pipe water from the river Shannon though a number of Midland counties, including Offaly, to a reservoir in Dublin.

The project, which is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the State, will deliver a “safe, secure, sustainable” source of water supply which is necessary to support the growing population and economy of the country, including the demand for housing, according to Uise Éireann.

Consultation events, at which members of the public can view the plans and ask questions on how the project will affect their areas, will take place in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Wednesday, January 22 and in the County Arms Hotel, Birr on Thursday, January 23, with both events scheduled to run from 4pm to 8pm.

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. This water will then be treated near Birdhill in Tipperary before being 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 is expected to have major implications for stakeholders, landowners and communities along the 170km route, including farming communities across large parts of Offaly.

In advance of the public information events in Offaly later this month, Uisce Éireann is inviting the public to view the consultation material online at: water.ie/watersupplyproject where submissions can also be made.

Uisce Éireann has said the project to extract water from the Shannon is necessary due to over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin Area. They have predicted that the region will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available at present.

The company has said it is looking forward to engaging with “stakeholders, landowners and communities along the route” at their forthcoming public information events in Offaly in order to provide them with more information and an opportunity to provide feedback.