Regional Water Plan for South-East

By Dan Walsh

Uisce Éireann today (Tuesday) begins a twelve-week public consultation on the draft Regional Water Resource Plan – South-East which will continue until October 3^rd and the region covers approximately 9,200 square kilometres, encompassing counties Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford.

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 of existing suppliers and the challenges and opportunities faced over the coming years including legislation, climate change, the environment, growth and economic development. The NWRP will also provide a transparent roadmap on how Uisce Éireann will plan for its water assets to align with national policy. 

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 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 Ms. Conlon.

A 12-week statutory public consultation will run from July 11^th to October 3^rd 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.