Ireland's €4.5B-€6B Shannon Water Project to Secure Supply for 1.86M People

Ireland faces a paradox: despite heavy rainfall and frequent flooding, the country experiences growing pressure on drinking water supplies due to decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, climate change, and increased demand. The issue is not water abundance but storage and system resilience against weather extremes.

To address this, Uisce Éireann developed a 25-year National Water Resources Plan. This plan identified the eastern and midlands region, including the Greater Dublin Area, as particularly vulnerable, with 1.86 million people relying heavily on the River Liffey. The proposed solution is the Water Supply Project, estimated to cost €4.5 billion-€6 billion, which will draw a small, managed abstraction from the Shannon system at Parteen Basin.

This project, one of the largest infrastructure investments in Ireland's history, aims to provide resilience for almost half the population, supporting growth in Tipperary, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Wicklow, and Dublin. Demand in the region is projected to rise by 40 percent by 2050, and no other credible alternative can meet this scale of need. Building new reservoirs is not viable due to rare suitable sites and high environmental standards.

Beyond drinking water, climate resilience also involves improving urban drainage systems with nature-based solutions like wetlands and permeable surfaces to manage intense rainfall and reduce flood risk. This comprehensive approach requires collaboration among Uisce Éireann, local authorities, planners, developers, regulators, and communities to adapt to a changing climate.