Eastern and Midlands region faces future water supply deficit without upgrade, committee to hear

Uisce Éireann will tell the committee that a water supply deficit would be unsafe for human health.
The Eastern and Midlands region will have a 34% water supply deficit by the year 2044 unless the current system is upgraded, Uisce Éireann has said.
This deficit and lack of resilience would be unsafe for human health, the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government, and Heritage will hear on Tuesday.
As things stand, the region is overly dependent on the River Liffey which is already the main water supply source for 1.7m people in the Greater Dublin Area.
This reliance means supply is extremely sensitive to drought and contamination, and also means it cannot meet the needs of Ireland's growing population, according to Uisce Éireann.
The growing economy and the worsening impacts of climate change are putting additional strain on the water supply.
The CEO of Uisce Éireann, Niall Gleeson, will tell the committee that its Water Supply Project must proceed urgently to ensure the provision of water and wastewater capacity, not just to the Eastern and Midlands region but to the entire country.
The project will see connection along its "spine" which will service communities in North Tipperary, Offaly, and Westmeath, as well as redirecting water currently supplying Dublin to Louth, Meath, Kildare, Carlow, and Wicklow.
Issues relating to An Bord Pleanála will be raised as Mr Gleeson says it is essential that stability be brought to the planning system by enacting legislative amendments and finalising reform of the organisation.
Uisce Éireann, which has a planned capital spend of €1.3bn in 2024, will update the committee on progress surrounding water and wastewater quality.
At the end of 2023, the utility says there were 19,109 people impacted by boil water notices that had been in place for more than 30 days.
It is not known whether Uisce Éireann will be in a position to provide an update on the ongoing discoloured water crisis in Cork city.
Last month, a survey revealed that people impacted by the ongoing situation were spending an average of €18 per week on bottled water resulting in calls for a water voucher system.