Two local authorities have raised concerns over the proposed piping of water from the river Shannon to Dublin and the Midlands, with suggestions the scheme could “undermine” Lough Derg as an environmental and tourism asset and pose a risk to agriculture.
The issues were raised in reports by management of Clare County Council and Tipperary County Council. While neither report expresses outright opposition to the plan, both highlight concerns.
The Clare report requests that An Coimisiún Pleanála,holds a public oral hearing on the project “given the complexity of the proposal and the significant national, regional and local issues that arise”.
It is to be submitted to the planning authority accompanied by a resolution from councillors calling for the planning application to be refused.
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Tipperary County Council will also submit the minutes of its meeting on Monday where councillors expressed opposition to the project.
Uisce Éireann submitted a planning application and Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) for the 170km pipeline last December.
Under plans for the €6 billion project, a maximum of 2 per cent of the average flow of the Shannon would be abstracted at Parteen Basin in Co Tipperary, downstream of Lough Derg. Uisce Éireann says this is “a very small amount relative to the size of the river”.
The management reports from the two councils state that Clare and Tipperary will get no direct water supply benefit from the project.
The report from Clare says: “Lough Derg is a critical environmental, economic and tourism asset for County Clare” and “any adverse impacts on water levels, flow conditions, water quality or ecological integrity have the potential to undermine this asset and the dependent local economy”.
The Tipperary report says the proposal “raises significant issues regarding balanced regional development” with the “concentration of benefits in the eastern region”.
It highlights the “sensitivity” of Lough Derg and the river, stressing that “abstraction rates must not exceed those modelled in the EIAR and must be actively curtailed during periods of low flow.”
The Tipperary report also says: “The project also poses risks to agriculture, including the potential spread of bovine tuberculosis as a result of interference with badger setts, and long-term impacts on land use within the pipeline wayleave.”
An addendum to the report says: “Tipperary County Council have grave concerns regarding the completeness of the application submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála.”
A statement from Uisce Éireann says the project is “urgently needed for the State to respond to the growth in housing and the challenges of climate change”.
It acknowledged “the importance of Lough Derg for recreation, tourism, and local ecology” and said “abstraction will not affect the normal operating water levels”.
It said modelling shows the planned abstraction is “sustainable, will have a neutral effect on water quality, and there will not be a visible day to day difference for any water users.”
Uisce Éireann said a “robust” EIAR, Natura Impact Statement and Water Status Impact Assessment Report were submitted as part of the planning application.
Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council passed a resolution arguing that the project raises “significant legal and environmental concerns” and it calls for the commission refuse planning permission.
Fianna Fáil councillor Tony O’Brien proposed the resolution which was not opposed and passed without a vote.
“We’re of the opinion that there is sufficient water sources in and around Dublin without building a pipeline over 170km long right up through the spine of the country abstracting water from a scare resource,” he said.
He also said leaks in existing water pipes in Dublin should be repaired and this was not a case of “the midwest versus Dublin”.
Phyll Bugler, a Fine Gael councillor in Tipperary, said water should be abstracted from rivers around Dublin or the Poulaphouca reservoir – currently used for hydroelectricity – instead of using the Shannon.
She also suggested desalination as an option. She argued that the project will cause ecological damage to Lough Derg with an increase of blue-green algae and says it will “decimate our tourism here in Ballina-Killaloe.”
On the suggestion that leaks in Dublin should be repaired, Uisce Éireann said a “new sustainable source of water” was needed alongside continued leakage reduction.
It said “leakage is at its lowest level ever” and since 2014 it has been reduced from 37 per cent to 30 per cent in Dublin.
Uisce Éireann also said “alternative options” such as desalination, were fully assessed but each “was found to be insufficient to meet the scale of long term demand, did not provide the required resilience, or carried significantly higher environmental or cost impacts”.
