The proposed pipeline project to pump water from the River Shannon to the Dublin area could leave farms along its route “unviable” during its construction, or possibly permanently, according to one TD.
Clare deputy Michael McNamara, who is running in next month’s European Parliament elections for the Ireland South constituency, said that farmers’ livelihoods may be “hit on the double” through both the impact of the pipeline’s construction, and challenges directly related to farming, such as changes to the nitrates derogation.
McNamara said today (Monday, May 20): “Ireland has one of the highest leakage rates of drinking water in Europe and the Dublin City Council area has one of the highest leakage rates in Ireland.
“As a result of that, it is proposed to build a pipeline across Ireland to ship water from Lough Derg and the River Shannon. That, obviously would cause huge disruption to landowners; a huge cost to the economy; and unforeseeable consequences for the environment.
“Shannon stocks are already plummeting without further reducing the flow of water along the natural course of the Shannon. There would be a larger draw on this pipeline during summer months when water levels are already very low along the River Shannon,” he added.
The independent deputy called on the government to fund wastewater treatment infrastructure instead.
“Instead of spending millions on piping water to Dublin where it will simply leak into the ground, this government should be investing in delivering the necessary wastewater treatment infrastructure to unsewered communities and upgrading the many facilities that are no longer fit-for-purpose,” he said.
“Not only does the construction of the needed new wastewater treatment plants alleviate the pressure on the future development of vitally important infrastructure in local communities, but it also tackles one of the primary causes of declining water quality in Ireland’s waterways.”
McNamara said that he “cannot support any proposal” to divert water from the Shannon until local authorities in Dublin and Uisce Éireann “get their act together and put their system in order”.
“Otherwise, this project will just further punish farmers by making their holdings unviable while they continue to be squarely and unfairly blamed for water quality issues which could be redressed by diverting proposed expenditure on this pipeline into funding infrastructure that will significantly decrease the amount of wastewater entering our waterways,” he added.