Water Supply Project, critical to securing economic growth and housing needs for the future, gets government green light

One of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the State which will ensure sustainable water supplies for half of the population up to 2050 and beyond.

The delivery of the Water Supply Project, Eastern and Midlands Region is critical to sustainable economic growth, enabling housing delivery and attracting investment to support Ireland’s growing population for the next 30 years and beyond.

The project, which today received Cabinet approval in principle under the Infrastructure Guidelines, can now proceed to planning. It will be one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects in the history of the State and has the capacity to ensure secure sustainable water supplies for up to 50% of the population.

The project will develop a new, climate-resilient, long-term water source to meet the demands of a growing population and economy, including the need for housing and mitigating against the impacts of climate change. It will create a water spine across the country which will ensure an urban level of service to towns and regions from Tipperary to Dublin and Carlow to Drogheda.

Commenting after the government decision, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien said:

Uisce Éireann CEO Niall Gleeson said:

This essential project will provide Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a resilient, safe, secure water supply. It will also create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country with the capacity to serve communities along the route in Newport, Moneygall and Borrisokane in North Tipperary, Dunkerrin and Tullamore in Offaly, and Mullingar in Westmeath. In addition, supplies currently serving Dublin can be redirected back to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow, providing security of supply to homes and businesses, which will support growth and regional development.

The Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region proposes to abstract a maximum of 2% of the average flow of the River Shannon at Parteen Basin downstream of Lough Derg. Treated water will then be piped 170km through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin, connecting into the Greater Dublin network.

Currently water supply in the Eastern and Midlands region faces a number of serious challenges, notably the over-reliance on the River Liffey to supply 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin Area. This dependence on the Liffey (and the two main treatment plants of Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip) results in a serious vulnerability to risks such as prolonged drought and/or contamination. With forecasts showing that the region will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available today, this combination of a growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience is not sustainable.

The potential solutions to the water supply need in the Eastern and Midlands Region have been under review for over 25 years. Hundreds of options have been considered. The proposal approved by Cabinet today is the culmination of extensive and detailed appraisal of potential solutions and alternatives including technical, engineering, environmental, financial and economic assessments in addition to widespread stakeholder consultation. To date, the project team has engaged with over 1,500 stakeholders and Uisce Éireann is committed to continuing engagement with all stakeholders including further consultation with landowners and local communities as the project progresses. The project has also been examined in the context of the outcomes of Uisce Éireann’s first National Water Resources Plan and associated Regional Water Resource Plans and it remains the best solution to address the majority of the water supply needs of the Eastern and Midlands region. Following Cabinet approval today Uisce Eireann will submit a Strategic Infrastructure Development application to An Bord Pleanála next year with construction estimated to take 4-5 years.

How much the project will cost

The project is still in the early stages of the project life cycle. The current preliminary project cost estimate of €4.58 billion to €5.96 billion has been developed in accordance with the principles set out in the Infrastructure Guidelines by international engineering experts Jacobs and verified by an Expert Review Panel (ERP). In addition, the Cost Benefit Analysis was developed by leading experts EY.

Uisce Éireann has rigorous programme management, risk management and governance processes in place to manage scope, programme and costs throughout the project lifecycle.

Based on a cost estimate of €4.58 billion, cost benefit analysis of the project demonstrates that it delivers €12.25 of benefits for every €1 of costs and it therefore represents a positive investment for the State.

Benefits of the Water Supply Project (WSP)

WSP will create an interconnected network that will support population, housing and economic growth to 50% for the State’s population in the Eastern and Midlands Region.

A secure, sustainable, future proofed water supply to support housing, economic and population growth and mitigate against the impact of climate change.

It will provide a level of service that a modern European country should expect.

The project will for the first time create a water supply ‘spine’ across the country with the capacity for future offtakes to supply communities in Tipperary, Westmeath and Offaly.

WSP will address water supply need across 36 water resource zones ensuring sustainable and resilient to future shocks such as drought and climate change.

The project will enable supplies of treated water currently serving Dublin to be redirected to provide a secure sustainable water supply capable of supporting regional development opportunities in Louth, Meath, Wicklow, Carlow and Kildare.

Why the project is needed

Water supply in the Eastern and Midlands Region faces a number of serious challenges.

Uisce Éireann forecast that by 2044 we will need 34% more water in the Eastern and Midlands region than we have today, while non-domestic (commercial) water demand is expected to grow by almost three-quarters.

Currently a single source, the River Liffey, supplies 85% of the water requirements for 1.7 million people in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). This dependency on the Liffey (and the two main treatment plants of Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip) results in a serious vulnerability to risks such as prolonged drought and/or contamination.

The Liffey catchment is very small, therefore water availability for the largest water supply in the country is dependent on rain falling over a very small area of land. With just 100 days of effective storage in the Poulaphouca reservoir, the source is highly vulnerable even to relatively short duration droughts and climate change impacts on rainfall.

Population and economic growth including the demand for housing and the impact of climate change will exacerbate the region’s water supply challenges even further.

Uisce Eireann has an ambitious National Leakage Reduction Programme to reduce leakage in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath to 20% by 2030. However, fixing the leaks is not enough, the current situation of a growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience is not sustainable.

WSP will provide a new sustainable water source

The Parteen Basin on the Lower River Shannon presents a significant opportunity for the State to harness a natural resource in a sustainable manner to deliver high quality water services across the entire Eastern and Midlands Region.

The Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region proposes to abstract just 2% of the average flow of the River Shannon which is similar to taking a teaspoon out of a pint glass of water.

Fixing the leaks is not enough

Uisce Éireann has prioritized leakage reduction to reach below 20% in the Greater Dublin Area by 2030, but that will not address the sustainability or resilience issues that are endured daily or indeed the increased water supply that is needed to meet the demands of our growing population and economy including the demand for housing.

There are 10,000km of water pipes in the Greater Dublin Area, enough to reach from Dublin to the Southern tip of South Africa if laid out in a straight line.

Fixing the leaks is a fundamental part of the solution, but is not enough as a stand-alone option.

UÉ analysis indicates that even if it was possible to reduce leakage further to just 10% this would still not be sufficient for long term GDA needs. Furthermore, the resilience risk would also persist and there would remain over reliance on the Liffey as the primary source of water for the region.

We are investing €250 million each year up to the end of 2030 in fixing leaks to provide a more reliable water supply.

Next steps

There has been extensive landowner and public engagement on the project to date. Following Cabinet approval to proceed to planning under the Infrastructure Guidelines, there will be another opportunity for provide feedback on the project at a fifth round of non-statutory consultation later this year.

The planning application will be submitted by An Bórd Pleanála in 2025 subject to external dependencies Uisce Éireann will be required to bring the final business case back for governmental consent at AG3 under the Infrastructure Guidelines to approve the investment proposal to proceed.

Subject to the planning process, construction is expected to take 4-5 years.