2026-03-04

I want to address the proposed water supply pipeline from the River Shannon to Dublin. In what would be the largest water project in the history of the State, more than 300 million litres of water a day will be taken from the River Shannon and transported through approximately 170 km of pipeline to supply Dublin at an estimated cost of €5 billion. Although the Government has described the work to be carried out as an imperative, there are genuine concerns about this project across communities in north Tipperary and the midlands. It will have an impact on one of Ireland's most treasured natural wonders. Local anglers have highlighted the potential environmental impact of the project, especially on migratory fish including trout and salmon. Businesses along the River Shannon and Lough Derg that rely on the tourism industry are worried about what this could mean for their livelihoods. I am speaking about accommodation providers, local pubs, cafés and small shops. Many of them are small family-run businesses whose enterprises are sustained by the river and the tourism visitors it attracts. Landowners are also raising questions about what the project would mean for them in terms of the construction involved and how this may cause significant disruption. We are all aware of the need for water infrastructure, and particularly in our most populated areas, but it cannot come at the expense of one community's way of life to sustain another. Having been kept updated on the project's development over the years, I understand why the people impacted need certainty that all alternatives have been truly explored before we risk damaging this critical waterway. We should look, for instance, at improving storage capacity closer to where demand exists and at upgrading the infrastructure already available. Will the Taoiseach outline the assessments carried out regarding the impact of the proposed water supply project on local communities along the Shannon? Is Government satisfied with Uisce Éireann's analysis and assessment of the project? Can the Taoiseach explain why the Government believes extracting water from the Shannon is the necessary solution, rather than prioritising greater water storage and resilience measures closer to where demand exists? We are aware the Dublin network is leaking badly. Will there be a large-scale replacement programme to cover Dublin's network or will we be piping fresh new water into a system that is already leaking? We have a poor record in delivering large-scale public projects on time and within budget. Does the Taoiseach have reason to believe this ambitious project will be different from past failures? Does Uisce Éireann have the capability to manage a project of this magnitude?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I appreciate there are concerns but I would say to all public representatives of all parties that we need to imbue in our nation a sense of strategic direction. Historically, we got it right in terms of utilities. That underpinned inward investment into this country and economic development without question. We are at a tipping point now in respect of whether we are prepared to make the big leaps forward and to underpin, for future generations, basic utilities for economic development and for the very basic supply of water itself. We acknowledge there is a housing crisis. Water will enable us to build more houses. If we do not get this done, there will be thousands and thousands of houses we cannot build. Moving on to the core issue, alternative options have been examined. The midlands will benefit enormously from this and the midlands needs development. People are advocating for new cities, for Athlone and so on. If we do not do this, people can forget about all of that. This is essential. I accept one thing, and I have said this to Irish Water. There needs to be a comprehensive communication approach to explain to people on the ground the benefits and how it will not impact on areas of importance to bed and breakfasts, hotels and businesses that depend on the amenity and recreational value of the Shannon, and anglers and so on. Desalination was looked at, as were groundwater sources, new reservoirs, additional abstraction from other rivers and further leakage reduction. All of those were fully assessed. 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. Leakage rates are coming down. Uisce Éireann has reduced water leakage from 49% to 36% nationally and 37% to 30% in Dublin, driven by a €2 billion investment in the network, including leakage reduction, over the past decade. It is important to remember the level of the Shannon and its flow are currently monitored and managed within a standard band by the ESB as part of operations at Ardnacrusha. Uisce Éireann is working with the EPA and the ESB and is clear this will not compromise the ecology of the Shannon or water services for local communities. Extensive preparation and studies have been undertaken and Uisce Éireann will continue to monitor the project during and after its construction. I was told by Irish Water representatives, when I met them two weeks ago on this and other issues, that any impact on local communities will be negligible. We are very conscious of kayakers, anglers and those who use it for amenity.

I agree Uisce Éireann needs to communicate the information it has and it needs to have the public's trust. It is important that happens. I was struck by the fact that in recent months we have seen unprecedented rainfall yet very little of that rainwater is captured or stored by homeowners or businesses. We should be doing far more to prioritise rainwater harvesting in our communities. Simple and inexpensive systems are available that could be installed to capture rainwater for non-drinking purposes, such as gardening or cleaning. As well as turning to these big projects that involve extracting water from one region to supply another, we should look at how best we can capture and manage rainfall. We get plenty of it in Ireland and it is guaranteed every year. How can we capture, harvest and reuse it?

I could not agree more. It is something that has annoyed me a bit. I have been talking to various Ministers. We have to incentivise rain harvesting for non-drinking purposes and there are a lot of easy ways of doing that. We are all waiting for the summer. Hopefully, we will get a bit of sun. If we get the inevitable banning of utilisation of water for the garden or whatever, we will all eat our hat, given the amount of rain that has fallen over the past number of months. The Deputy is absolutely correct on that. I will make a general point. Ireland is a small enough country. Many of our people and families are living in the midlands or in Dublin. Protecting their future is what we are about here. I am not saying the Deputy is doing this but I hope people do not use this politically or electorally. There is a lot of infrastructural stuff we cannot get done. There was a Deputy in the House recently who had legitimate concerns about a gas generation station, a solar farm and a wind farm - all three. I am left asking the question: how do we switch the light bulb on if we do not do something?