A DETAILED study of the implications of abstracting water from the river Shannon to meet the needs of the Greater Dublin region for 2015 and beyond is due to be completed this summer. Not surprisingly, the proposal has generated considerable opposition from farming, boating and angling organisations in the Shannon region.
They regard the project as damaging to their diverse interests and to the local environment. Global warming and changing rainfall patterns are likely to magnify those concerns.
There is no denying the need for proper planning to ensure the water requirements of the people of Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare can be met. But the concerns raised about the environmental and social damage that could be caused by the abstraction of hundreds of litres of water a day from the lower reaches of the Shannon in drought conditions cannot be ignored - especially when up to 30 per cent of pumped water resources in Dublin are currently being wasted. In addition, domestic water metering, as a means of encouraging careful use, has been shirked by Government.
Two years ago, an initial study was conducted on whether a pipeline should be built to bring fresh water to Dublin from Lough Ree or whether a desalinisation plant should be built in Dublin Bay. The first option was chosen in a report that concluded the principal problem for a desalinisation plant involved emissions of an estimated quarter of a million tonnes of CO2 a year. But, with the offshore potential of wind and wave power, why should a desalinisation plant generate any CO2 emissions? A wind or wave fuelled plant could become an innovative project with export potential.
Because of intense local opposition, consideration is now being given to abstracting water from both Lough Ree and Lough Derg. This would, indeed, reduce the impact on Lough Ree but it would do nothing for the lowest reaches of the Shannon and would be a more costly exercise because two pumping stations and two pipelines would be required.
There are obvious attractions for Dublin planners in sourcing water from the Shannon. It is simple and easy. The resource is free and the technology is proven. But, with climate change upon us, the demand for water is certain to rise rapidly along the east coast. Once a pipeline is in place, the needs of people in the greater Dublin region can be expected to take precedence over environmental and other concerns. The long-term implications of this project are disquieting.