Uisce Éireann today begins a twelve-week public consultation on the draft Regional Water Resource Plan – South East which will continue until 3 October 2023. The region covers approximately 9,200 square kilometres, encompassing counties Wexford , Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow and Limerick.
The plan sets out options for providing a more secure, reliable and sustainable water supply for 369,240 customers in the South East region over the next 25 years.
Uisce Éireann’s National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) will be the first resources plan for the entire public water supply in Ireland. The NWRP will identify the needs across our existing supplies and the challenges and opportunities that we face over the coming years including legislation, climate change, the environment, growth and economic development. The NWRP will allow us to understand the actions and activities required to transform our water supplies and provide a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable water supply for our current and future customers. The NWRP will also provide a transparent roadmap on how Uisce Éireann will plan for its water assets to align with national policy.
Given the scale of the area to be covered, the NWRP is being rolled out in two phases. The NWRP Framework Plan was first adopted in the summer of 2021 and Uisce Éireann has since moved into Phase 2 and is preparing four Regional Water Resources Plans.
The four regions are:
- Regional Water Resources Plan: North West
- Regional Water Resources Plan: South West
- Regional Water Resources Plan: South East
- Regional Water Resources Plan: Eastern and Midlands
Each Regional Plan is subject to its own consultation and, once adopted, all of the Regional Plans and the Framework Plan will be treated as a unified National Plan.
The draft RWRP-SE describes the South East Region and the current challenges faced now and into the future in terms of delivering a safe, secure and resilient water supply. It identifies progress made to date, for instance through leakage reductions, capital investment works, and works in progress. It applies the methodology as adopted in the Framework Plan to (i) identify the Need across the 111 Water Resource Zones, in terms of quality, quantity, reliability and sustainability of supply, and (ii) identify Plan-level solutions to meet this Need across the region.
There are 143 Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the South East Region, which collectively serve 369,240 people or 9% of the population of Ireland and 29,700 businesses via approximately 17,730 kilometres of distribution network. Speaking at the launch of the public consultation, Mairéad Conlon, Regional Water Resources Strategy Lead for Uisce Éireann said, “The development of a draft plan on how Uisce Éireann will supply water across the South East region is an important step. It will allow Uisce Éireann to review water supply needs across the region and consider local options to resolve these needs.”
“The draft Regional Plan will offer key benefits in terms of transformation of our supplies, including the ability to cater for growth and economic development in a sustainable way, through improved interconnectivity between our supplies to ensure balanced regional development and new sustainable water sources that are adaptable to climate change.”
“The draft plan sets out how we envisage water will be supplied to homes and businesses across counties Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford over the next 25 years. Our team hopes to meet as many people as possible and hear from them about their local areas, to ensure that our plan is the best fit for the South East region,” explained Mairéad.
Uisce Éireann is now seeking feedback on the public consultation for the draft RWRP-SE and associated SEA Environmental Report and Natura Impact Statement (NIS). The documents are available to view on our website athttps://www.water.ie/projects/strategic-plans/national-water-resources/rwrp/south-east/
A 12-week statutory public consultation will run from 11 July to 3 October 2023.
Submissions can be made by post or email by 3 October 2023 to:
Email: nwrp@water.ie
Post: National Water Resources Plan, Uisce Éireann, PO Box 13216, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
