Plans for 600 homes in West Cork in jeopardy due to 'maxed out' water supply 

County councillors says there is an urgent need to augment drinking water supply or increase storage levels to offset a supply crisis developing in Clonakilty.

Plans for the development of around 600 houses in Clonakilty, Co Cork are in jeopardy because the water supply is already “maxed-out” and this could also have implications for employment growth, tourism and agriculture.

Water is extracted from the Argideen River for the town and some of its outlying villages and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has put a cap on the amount of daily extraction at 4,500,000 litres. The situation is so critical that during the summer months when many tourists arrive in the area, the maximum is reached on a near-daily basis.