LONG READ: Tipperary representatives lodge major objections to €6bn Shannon pipeline plan

Uisce Éireann’s proposed Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region is its largest ever project, with an estimated cost of €6 billion, though critics of the plan believe the eventual cost could be significantly higher.

The project aims to secure the water supply for Dublin and its surrounding counties by extracting water from the River Shannon, treating it in Tipperary and delivering it via a 170km pipeline through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare before terminating at a reservoir in Peamount in Dublin, where it would connect into the Greater Dublin Area water distribution network.

Public consultation on the proposal closed in recent weeks, with several local elected representatives and community groups submitting objections outlining concerns about the project’s potential environmental, economic and regional impacts.

READ NEXT: “This could be an ecological disaster” - local outrage over water pipeline plans

One of those most vocally opposed to the project in Tipperary is Nenagh councillor Seamie Morris. In his submission, Cllr Morris writes:

“This submission objects to the granting of planning permission for the proposed Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project (‘the Project’) on the basis that it is unlawful under EU environmental law, factually unsound, and procedurally defective.”
Among the central concerns raised in his submission is how the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment Report frames the proposed abstraction as representing approximately 2% of average annual flow at Parteen Basin.

Cllr Morris argues that this framing is misleading, saying ecological impact under the Water Framework Directive and Habitats Directive should be assessed during drought or low-flow conditions rather than long-term averages.

He points to ESB data which he says shows that for around 20 days each year the turbines at Ardnacrusha take no water, leaving only the statutory minimum flow of approximately 10.5 cubic metres per second travelling down the Old Shannon channel. According to his submission, the proposed pipeline abstraction of about 3.5 cubic metres per second would represent roughly one third of this flow.

Cllr Morris also raises concerns about potential impacts on several protected Natura 2000 sites, including the Lower River Shannon SAC, Lough Derg SAC and Shannon Callows SAC.

Among the ecological issues highlighted in the submission are possible impacts on fish migration and spawning, reduced dissolved oxygen levels during low-flow periods, habitat loss along lake and river edges and the potential worsening of algal blooms in Lough Derg.

He also argues that the Shannon system is already under pressure due to hydromorphological alterations, ecological stress and competing water demands, noting that the Environmental Protection Agency has previously classified parts of the river system as being below “good ecological status”.

Cllr Morris’ fellow Nenagh elected representative, Cllr Pamela Quirke O’Meara, has also lodged her own submission raising similar concerns.

In her submission, Cllr Quirke O’Meara argues that the proposed abstraction could threaten critical habitats and protected species and lead to dangerously low water levels during drought conditions which could place parts of the river system under significant ecological stress.

She also raises concerns about the impact of the project’s estimated five-year construction period, stating that it could lead to significant disruption for local communities through increased heavy traffic, temporary rural road closures, noise, dust and restricted agricultural access.

In the closing section of her submission she states that alternative water supply options should be explored before progressing with the Shannon pipeline.

Among the alternatives she suggests are making greater use of the Poulaphouca Reservoir, as well as considering water supplies from eastern rivers such as the River Slaney, River Boyne and River Barrow.
Labour TD Alan Kelly, along with local Labour councillors Fiona Bonfield and Louise Morgan Walsh, have also lodged a formal submission opposing the project.

In a joint statement, the representatives said they were standing up for north Tipperary and the wider mid-west against what they described as a project carrying “massive risk” with little reward for the region.

Among the concerns they highlight are potential ecological impacts on the Shannon system, with the group citing climate data suggesting water abstraction levels could increase significantly during drought conditions, potentially affecting fish species such as salmon and trout and habitats around Parteen Basin.

They also argue that priority should be given to addressing water losses in Dublin’s ageing pipe network before developing new water sources.

Opposition to the proposal has also emerged from community groups. A campaign group called the River Shannon Protection Alliance, which is campaigning under the banner “Fight the Shannon Pipeline”, has launched an online petition opposing the development which has now gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

In its campaign material the group claims the pipeline, which it says could ultimately cost more than €10 billion, is unnecessary and could damage farms, biodiversity and ecosystems along the Shannon and surrounding Special Areas of Conservation.

The campaign group also argues that alternative solutions should be prioritised, including repairing leaks in Dublin’s ageing water infrastructure and exploring water supply options from eastern rivers such as the River Liffey, as well as improved environmental land management and increased native tree planting in river catchment areas.

Uisce Éireann has previously stated that the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project is required to secure long-term water supply for Dublin and surrounding counties, where demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.

The issue was also discussed at length during a recent meeting of Tipperary County Council, where a number of councillors raised concerns about the potential environmental and regional implications of the proposed project.

Cllr Seamie Morris told the meeting that the level of abstraction proposed from the Shannon during low-flow summer conditions could be far higher than suggested in project documentation. Referring to data relating to water flows under Killaloe Bridge during the summer months, he argued that removing between 3.8 and 4.2 cubic metres of water per second could represent as much as 38% to 42% of the river’s flow during dry periods rather than the roughly 2% figure cited in project documents.

Cllr Morris also questioned the concept of a “community gain” fund linked to the project, telling councillors that Tipperary County Council had long had development levy provisions in place relating to water abstraction and should not weaken its position by accepting compensation linked to the pipeline.

Cllr Pamela Quirke O’Meara also addressed the chamber, stating that she believed the proposed Shannon-to-Dublin pipeline carried significant environmental risks. She warned that the scale of the construction corridor could damage farmland and sensitive habitats while also raising concerns about soil contamination and groundwater disruption.

Other councillors echoed similar concerns during the debate. Cllr Michael O’Meara told the meeting that the project “never really made much sense,” questioning the logic of extracting water from the mid-west while some communities in the region continue to face water supply issues of their own. He also pointed to the fact that more than 1,200 households in the Rathcabbin area had been under a boil water notice at the time Irish Water representatives had presented the project to councillors earlier in the year.

Councillor Mairin McGrath said she believed the proposal also raised wider questions about regional development policy, suggesting that progressing the project could ultimately benefit the Greater Dublin Area at the expense of regional balance and development in other parts of the country.

During the same discussion, another councillor told the chamber that confidence in Uisce Éireann to deliver such a major project remained low, pointing to ongoing water supply restrictions in some towns as evidence that existing infrastructure issues still needed to be addressed.

The council ultimately agreed that the views expressed by members during the debate would be included as part of the local authority’s submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála on the project.