Tipp, Limerick and Clare Councils 'should unite' to fight the Shannon pipe

'We need to get Tipperary County Council together with Limerick and Clare County Councils' was the rallying call of a Nenagh based Councillor who wants to fight the advancement of the Shannon extraction pipeline project.

The response of Tipperary County Council to the advancement of the Shannon water extraction pipeline has been described as a 'disgrace' and an act of 'surrender' by the same local representative, who has long campaigned against the project.

Nenagh based Independent Councillor, Seamie Morris, has railed against the development of a pipeline from Tipperary to Dublin to feed the ever growing water needs of the city since it was first proposed in 2007.

At the monthly meeting of Tipperary County Council in Clonmel last Monday, which Cllr. Morris said he travelled to attend in person to address the issue, he described a draft of the submission to be made by the Chief Executive on the pipeline which was circulated among local representatives on Friday last, as the biggest handing over of resources he has seen “since the Lisbon Treaty.”

“This is a consultant driven project - Dublin is surrounded by water, sits on water, but leaks millions of litres of water everyday.
“This submission is an eight-page surrender as far as I can see”, Cllr. Morris said.

Councillor Morris proposed the submission be redrafted after the issue is opened up for further debate by the members of the Nenagh Municipal Council.

Killaloe/Ballina based Fine Gael Councillor, Dr. Phyll Bugler, told the meeting that businesses and people living on the banks of Lough Derg are very concerned about the potential consequences of large scale extraction from the lake.

“Fishing is very important to the area and our biggest worries are the potential ecological effects and it affecting tourism”, Cllr. Bugler said.

She said many people fear a major disruption to the water level of the lake, adding it “seems crazy to pump water from Ballina to Cloughjordan”, and seconded Cllr. Morris' suggestion to reopen the debate at the municipal council workshop.
“We need to think of the economic disadvantages of this - nobody wants to deny water to Dublin, but we have to think of our own area and future economic development.

“Pumping all that water so far seems like a hairbrained idea”, Cllr. Bugler said.

Independent Councillor, Joe Hannigan, told the meeting that as a resident of the area affected he is very concerned.

“The history of An Bord Pleanala and Uisce Eireann wouldn't inspire confidence”, Cllr. Hannigan said, pointing out that many senior planners in Dublin see the project as a “fait accompli” and are already “spending mega money”.

“The lack of water infrastructure in places across the county is impeding development.

“While we're all for the progress of 'Ireland Inc.', we need to apply some logic and common sense”, Cllr. Hannigan said.

'WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE'

Independent Lowry Team Councillor, Michael O'Meara, said he predicts a major impact on the local farming community.
“It is a case of water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink here, because anywhere north of Ardcroney water can be a major issue for local people, businesses and farmers.

“This is going to have impacts on the farming community and I'm very concerned for the people who own the lands which the pipe will transect.

“Farmers and people in my area have no water infrastructure themselves and they'll be seeing the water passing by their door on the way to Dublin”, Cllr. O'Meara said.

The Council Executive responded to their concerns by assuring that the local authority's submission will include an addendum detailing their points of contention.

Anne-Marie Devaney, Senior Planner from the Planning and Development Department, said that any ecological impacts will have to be addressed: “It is an ecological site and any impacts will have to be mitigated against”, she said.

Ms. Devaney said that prior to any report being finalised, the infrastructural requirements of county Tipperary and if extracting water will affect the level of Lough Derg will be examined.

WORK WITH LIMERICK AND CLARE COUNCILS

The members agreed to return the issue to municipal level for further debate and Cllr. Morris suggested Tipperary's councillors work with neighbouring local authorities to make a separate submission to the planning board.

“We are on a long journey with this and we need to get ourselves together,” he said, adding he “still has fight in me yet on this”.

“We need to get Tipperary County Council together with Limerick and Clare County Councils and talk about this.

“We can make our own submission, but should also put together a joint submission. We shouldn't be doing this on our own and we need to meet with the neighbouring local authorities”, Cllr. Morris said.