Plan to pipe water from Shannon to Dublin 'could inhibit regional growth around Limerick'

CONTROVERSIAL plans to abstract water from the River Shannon to serve the Dublin region could “inhibit” the development of Limerick and the region, it has been warned.

On top of this, the proposal from Uisce Eireann will have “no direct water supply benefits for Limerick”.

That’s according to the deputy director general of Limerick City and County Council Joe Delaney, who sent a detailed report to An Coimisiún Pleanála, which is scheduled to make a decision on the project by the end of June.

In a move widely opposed in the region, Uisce Eireann is seeking to take water from the River Shannon and pipe it to the east of the country to ensure there’s enough water there in the future.

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The utility firm argues that Dublin relies heavily on the River Liffey, which carries risk if there is a drought or contamination.

But in council’s submission to the national planning authority, Mr Delaney argues there is also risk to Limerick.

Mr Delaney, who filed the report on behalf of council director general Dr Pat Daly, urged An Coimisiún Pleanála to take into account “security of supply issues” in the city and county.

“Limerick city and a large area of its rural hinterland is dependent on a single treatment plant at Clareville. If this treatment plant fails or the source of its water suffers a major pollution event, there is no backup plan to supply drinking water to Limerick city. On this basis, it is recommended the proposal provide security of supply to Limerick city for projected population growth and to support the growth of the water critical industry, both indigenous and foreign direct investment and provide confidence to future investors in the Limerick region on the resilience of the water supply,” wrote Mr Delaney.

His intervention followed a meeting attended by Limerick councillors.

At this meeting, all 36 councillors present said they opposed the proposals.

Sean Hartigan of the Green Party was the only council member to make his own representation to the commission.

He warned if the plans do go ahead, “salmon and eels will basically become extinct on the River Shannon and there’d be no hope of restoring them again”.

“Why should we wipe this out from the Shannon to turn it into an infrastructure project and nothing else,” he asked.

A number of other groups and individuals wrote to An Coimisiún Pleanála from Limerick and its surrounds, largely to oppose the plans.

Among this number were the Castleconnell Boat Club, the Castleconnell River Association, Environmental Trust Ireland and the Lough Derg Anglers Association.

Former Green Party TD Brian Leddin also wrote in opposition, but the only sitting member of the Oireachtas who had contacted the Commission by Easter was Senator Dee Ryan.

“We must ensure that energy generation, environmental stewardship, and water management are treated as interdependent parts of one national system because they are,” she wrote.