A plan to pump water from the Parteen Basin to Dublin has been tipped to be “one of the largest infrastructure scandals in the state”.
Public consultation is set to take place on the controversial proposal which it’s claimed would see 2% of the average flow at the basin in Clare diverted to address drinking water deficits in the Greater Dublin Area.
In June of last year, cabinet signed off on the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, a long discussed plan to abstract water from the Parteen Basin, which is upstream of Parteen Weir on the Lower River Shannon.
According to Uisce Éireann, the plans would involve 2% of the long term average flow at the basin being treated near Birdhill before being pumped through 170 kilometres of pipeline in Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in Dublin.
The reason for the project, the water utility says, is that the Eastern and Midlands region faces several “serious challenges”, the most crucial being the over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin area.
Since it was first floated, there have been serious concerns in Clare and the wider Midwest region that the plans would have negative effects on water supply here while also inconveniencing landowners.
Senior Programme Manager Uisce Éireann Pat Murphy claims however the impact will be minimal in Clare.
Despite this, Killaloe Fianna Fáil Councillor Tony O’Brien doesn’t believe as little as 2% of water will be utilised and says the project has the “potential to decimate” the ways in which the Shannon benefits Clare.
As part of the public consultation process, information days will be held in the Lakeside Hotel Ballina on January 15th from 4pm to 8pm, as well as in the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh on January 16th at the same time.
Additionally, webinars will be held on February 7th at 11am and February 18th at 4pm, with information to be found on the Uisce Éireann website water.ie.
The Government has been advised that the project could cost between €9.255 billion and €10.4 billion, and Kay McGuinness from the River Shannon Protection Alliance says it has all the hallmarks of a waste of taxpayers’ money.
You can listen to the full interview here:
