A North Tipperary councillor has warned that Tipperary County Council must “come out strongly” with regard to its position on the proposed Shannon-to-Dublin water transfer scheme, as the multi-billion euro project moves through the planning process.
The proposal from Uisce Éireann would abstract treated water from the River Shannon system at the Parteen Basin and transfer it through a new pipeline to support supplies in the Eastern and Midlands region and the Greater Dublin Area. Planning permission has been lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála.
What is being planned?
Project documentation published by Uisce Éireann sets out a new abstraction from the lower Shannon at Parteen Basin; a proposed water treatment plant near Birdhill, and a pipeline running approximately 170km to a termination point reservoir at Peamount, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area network.
Uisce Éireann states the abstraction would be a maximum of 2% of the long-term average flow at Parteen Basin. The volume most commonly cited in public reporting is roughly 330–350 million litres per day (depending on the source and whether a rounded “up to” figure is used).
Cost estimates are varied. Uisce Éireann has referenced a preliminary indicative range in the €4.58bn–€5.96bn bracket, while other reporting has noted higher “worst-case” risk scenarios discussed in official correspondence.
“A legacy of a beautiful lake that’s destroyed”
Speaking on local radio, Councillor Bugler said she fears the council will not oppose the project strongly enough when it finalises its submission. She said she raised her concerns directly with council Chief Executive Ms Sinéad Carr, warning against any temptation to prioritise potential local “community benefit” funding over environmental impact.
She has urged the council not to “sell us out” and said she was worried about damage to Lough Derg for future generations.
Uisce Éireann has said it is proposing a “bespoke Community Benefit Scheme” linked to communities hosting construction and permanent infrastructure.
Criticism after Killaloe meeting.
The councillor also criticised Uisce Éireann’s public engagement after a recent information meeting in Killaloe, saying she was dissatisfied with the answers provided on how the project would operate during low-flow or drought periods.
In particular, she questioned how a 2% abstraction figure based on long-term averages would translate during dry spells and whether abstraction would be reduced or suspended, and what that would mean for the reliability of supply to Dublin and the wider region.
“What turns this from local frustration into national hypocrisy is the scale of spending Ireland is willing to contemplate elsewhere. The Irish Government has backed the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands region, intended to bring a new long-term water source from the Shannon system towards the greater leaking Dublin area“. See Link Here
Ms Bugler further claimed that some representatives displayed limited familiarity with local water and wastewater infrastructure, including the source of supply for towns Ballina and Newport from the Mulcair River, and raised concerns about treatment levels at Ballina’s wastewater facility. These are allegations made by the councillor in media reports; Uisce Éireann has not, in the published material cited here, issued a point-by-point response to those specific claims.
Council submission in preparation.
Meanwhile, Tipperary County Council is preparing its formal submission to the planning authority. Separate coverage has reported that consultants have been appointed to assist the council in drafting its response.
With the application now before An Coimisiún Pleanála, we learn that stakeholders and members of the public can also make submissions as part of the statutory process, ahead of a decision on whether the project proceeds and, if so, under what conditions.
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