Opposition to Lough Derg water extraction proposals

PLANS to extract water from Lough Derg as a planned drinking supply for Dublin and parts of the Midlands will be resisted.

Politicians in the mid-west are demanding an independent verification of Dublin City Council’s plan.

Clare’s mayor Pat Hayes said locals want to ensure any water extraction “will not be to the detriment of the lake’s catchment area”.

Last week, an Oireachtas committee visited the proposed extraction site on the North Tipperary side of the lake. Mr Hayes said stakeholders in the region cannot rely on the Dublin council’s analysis of the impact of the €500 million project.

He said: “We cannot and should not accept any report they are putting forward in relation to the potential impact of this mammoth project. After all, we were told at the outset that this was just for Dublin’s water supply but now we are told it could be for up to 40% of the country’s population, starting in the Midlands and running all the way to Dublin.”

“We need an independent environmental impact study commissioned on behalf of Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Galway local authorities and all other stakeholders such as the Shannon Region Fisheries Board and the ESB. This study must be paid for by Dublin City Council but they should have no other hand, act or part to play in it,” he added.

He said the project has the potential to seriously impact on both the environment and economic status at the lake and, in turn, cause irreparable damage to the local economy.