Published: Wednesday, 21st July, 2010 6:00pm

Reprieve for Lough Ree as Dublin water to be taken from Lough Derg

There has been a reprieve for Lough Ree this week as Dublin City Council unveiled its plans to abstract water from Lough Derg to supply the greater Dublin region.

However, the Shannon Protection Alliance said this week it will not accept any abstraction from the Shannon and said abstraction from Lough Derg will have an impact further up the Shannon.

But Dublin City Council insists it will only abstract water from Lough Derg at times of high water flow and the proposal is for 2% and at present this 2% flows into the Atlantic ocean every day and is replenished with rain falling on the catchment.

Dublin City Council then plans to pipe the water to Garryhinch Bog in Co. Offaly where it plans to design "an innovative water based eco-park with fishing, boating, cycling, water and leisure sports on 500 acres, with a major water storage reservoir."

The council expects that the water stored at this reservoir will not only be a new water source for the greater Dublin area, but will also supply counties Westmeath, Offaly, Meath, Wicklow and Kildare.

The project is set to cost €540m and the council stated that it will create an estimated 1,000 construction jobs for three years as well as generating ongoing, sustainable, long-term jobs in the Midlands in the management of the eco-park activities and a water plant.

Fianna Fáil Deputy Mary O'Rourke, who has been quite vocal on the protection of Shannon waters since the proposal was first mooted, said this week: "It is a reprieve for Lough Ree. I regard the fight to save Lough Ree, I regard it as being saved. It would have affected boating interests on Lough Ree and tourists and they're just coming back now."

And she said that since the record floods last year people had queried her stance on the abstraction but she pointed out that the original proposal had been for a daily abstraction order, not just at times of high flow. "I regard the battle as being won, whatever about the war, because they are still taking Shannon water," said Deputy O'Rourke. "I'm glad they've removed their sights from Lough Ree and I want to thank all the people who came out to fight that fight two years ago," she said. However, Martin McEnroe of the Shannon Protection Alliance is not so sure that the fight is over yet.

He said even though Dublin City Council is planning to abstract the water from Lough Derg it will still have an impact further up the Shannon.

"If Dublin takes the surplus water from the Shannon how will towns along the Shannon develop in the future?" he asked. "We need employment down the country. We don't want to see any water abstracted from the Shannon, we know it will be needed in the future. That type of thing should be supported."

He said Dublin City Council should look at other options before taking water from the Shannon and said he wanted to see the report to find out how many, if any, of their suggestions had been taken on board.

Asked if this project would help alleviate flooding in the future, Mr McEnroe said: "This year was different. We had a once in a hundred year flooding. It was down to bad management on the Shannon. If there was better management it wouldn't happen."

"If they want to take the water from the Shannon let them take it down at Ardnacrusha when the counties along the Shannon are finished with it," he said. "We will be examining the report in detail when it comes back. We're hoping that our concerns are addressed in it," said Mr McEnroe.

The plan will be discussed at a meeting of Dublin City Council's Strategic Policy Committee tomorrow (Thursday) and if approved an environmental impact statement will be prepared before a planning application is lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

What the plan entails

Dublin City Council plans to take water from the River Shannon at Lough Derg during periods of flood and high flows only and store it a new eco-park in Co. Offaly, from where it could be used during periods of low flows in the Shannon. A statement from the council this week read: "The average amount of water from Lough Derg under this proposal is 2% and at present this 2% flows into the Atlantic ocean every day and is replenished with rain falling on the catchment." Bord na Móna, which owns Garryhinch Bog, has expressed its commitment to support the project as it is in line with its green energy vision, its Lough Boora Park developments and its plans to create new sustainable jobs in the Midlands.

The consultants hired by Dublin City Council have suggested that a 500 acre eco-park would be constructed at Garryhinch Bog that would be along the lines of the well known UK Rutland Water and Eco-park in east Anglia.

If the Dublin City Councillors agree to the plan when they meet this week an environmental impact statement will be prepared and a planning application will then be lodged with An Bord Pleanála. An Bord Pleanála will make the decision on the viability of the project, which will require funding from Government.