1,400-acre reservoir will store water from Shannon to quench East’s thirst
Dublin City Council is to seek planning permission to develop a €426m reservoir in Laois which will create 1,000 jobs during construction and provide two months’ back-up water supply to Dublin, Wicklow, Meath, and Kildare.
The reservoir could provide up to 350m litres of water a day.
It is believed local authorities in Offaly, Westmeath, and Laois have expressed interest in availing of water from the reservoir. If they all come on board, the reservoir would cater for nearly 40% of the population.
The development of the reservoir at Garryhinch, near Portarlington, will be one of the country’s biggest infrastructural development projects and is viewed as vital by Dublin City Council to ensuring water supply in the Midlands and East.
Under the plan, water will be pumped from Lough Derg in Tipperary through a new pipeline to the Garryhinch cut-away bog reservoir near Portarlington. The Shannon water will be treated in Laois and transported on in a series of pipelines.
According to Dublin City Council, a raw water reservoir is proposed as this will allow “flexibility” when the water is taken from the River Shannon. Dublin City Council says it will not impact negatively on either Lough Derg or the Shannon system.
The reservoir will form part of a proposed Midlands eco park which would contain a range of water-based activities including sailing and water sports. It is hoped the project would be similar to the Rutland Park in Britain.
The ecopark could create up to 130 leisure sector jobs.
Separately, up to 100 staff will be employed at the Garryhinch water reservoir.
