Green light for ‘critical’ water supply project

The Uisce Éireann board have given the go ahead to progress a €5.9 billion water project to stabilise the water supply to the capital. Uisce Éireann Financial Statements from 2024 indicated that €87.6 million had been spent on the project at that stage.

This is the largest water project in the history of the State and it is anticipated that it will have capacity to support the water supply needs of up to 50% of the population, with Westmeath one of the areas to benefit from the project.

Approval has been given for the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region to proceed to the next stage under the Government’s infrastructure guidelines.

This project involves the development of a new source of drinking water in order to support housing and economic growth across the region, including in the Dublin Area, in the decades to come.

Following the lodging of a planning application in December, a detailed business case for the project has now been approved by the Uisce Éireann board and in turn now noted by the Government. This paves the way for the procurement and tendering process to progress in order to accelerate the delivery phase for the project.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, said the infrastructure will unlock housing and facilitate growth in the Eastern and Midlands Region: “Its delivery is critical to help us achieve the aims of Delivering Homes, Building Communities, our housing action plan.

“The project, along with Uisce Éireann’s other major infrastructure project, the Greater Dublin Drainage project, reflects significant Government investment in water infrastructure to support housing and development.”

Maria O’Dwyer, Uisce Éireann’s Infrastructure Delivery Director, acknowledged that the project is backed by the Government’s continued funding commitment: “This project is achieving milestones at pace and we are taking all possible measures to accelerate delivery as it navigates through the statutory planning process.

Water supply in the Eastern and Midlands region faces major challenges, notably the over-reliance on a single source (the River Liffey) to supply 1.7 million people. When delivered, this once-in-a-generation project will ensure a sustainable, secure and resilient supply of drinking water to the Eastern and Midlands region to support our growing population and economy, including the increased demand for housing.

Uisce Éireann say the project will provide Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a resilient, safe, secure water supply. It will also create a treated water supply ‘spine’ across the country, providing infrastructure with the capacity for future offtakes, to serve communities along the route in Tipperary, Offaly, and Westmeath.