'Environmental vandalism' - Tipp Council express serious concerns on Shannon pipeline

Tipperary County Council has produced a document with the backing of elected representatives raising serious concerns about the feasibility and potential environmental impact of the proposed €10-billion Shannon pipeline project.

Uisce Eireann has submitted a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanala to create the Shannon pipeline and Tipperary County Council have an opportunity to submit a Chief Executive's report expressing their opinions, which was approved by councillors on Monday.

At their monthly meeting in Nenagh on Monday, Tipperary's County Councillors again unanimously sounded the alarm over the proposed water extraction project, which Uisce Eireann see as the solution to the capital's water shortages.

The plan is to build a 170-kilometre pipeline at a cost of €10-billion from Tipperary to Dublin, but local Councillors claim it will have a devastating effect on agriculture and tourism in the River Shannon and Lough Derg region.

Leading the charge against the project for over a decade is Nenagh based Independent councillor, Seamie Morris, who has compiled the opinions of independent experts and brought together a coalition of elected members from Tipperary and neighbouring local authorities to stop the project.

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Cllr Morris predicts water shortages in the midwest region should the pipeline proceed and council colleagues from areas starved of adequate water supplies for years have expressed anger at the concept of pumping water past their communities to satisfy the needs of Dublin.

Dublin's water infrastructure is proven to suffer from extensive leaks, Cllr Morris said and pointed out that no area of Dublin is categorised as a red zone for water supplies - "there is no shortage of water in Dublin," he said.

There are 43-billion gallons of water stored in the Poulaphouca Reservoir (Blessington Lakes) in Co. Wicklow, Cllr Morris said, proposing that using that reservoir appears to be a more practical solution for Dublin's needs.

Another leading voice in Tipperary's campaign against the pipeline is Fine Gael's Dr Phyll Bugler based in the Killaloe and Ballina area, which is predicted to potentially be one of the most adversely affected areas by any large scale water extraction project.

Cllr Bugler, who has a PhD in organic chemistry, pointed out several problems with the pipeline plans and said the volume they intend to extract "is not there."

Cllr Bugler has carefully monitored the water levels flowing past the bridge in Killaloe throughout the seasons and says volumes are significantly lower than ever before during the summer months.

"The lower Shannon is collapsing as we speak," she said and added  the presence in vast numbers of zebra mussels in Lough Derg prevent the water from being treated to an adequate standard for human consumption without the use of huge quantities of chlorine.

The zebra mussel, an invasive species believed to have been brought to Lough Derg on vessels from Lake Eerie in the early part of the last century, filters the water which creates the toxic algal bloom familiar to people who use the lake in the summer months.

The zebra mussel also produces vast quantities of larvae which are known to clog filtration systems at great expense in other countries, she said. "It will be toxic water not suitable for drinking," Cllr Bugler said.

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Lower Ormond based Independent Councillor, Michael O'Meara commended the Council executive on producing "an excellent document" and said his personal addendum to the submission expresses his rejection of the proposal by Uisce Eireann from an area which was bypassed for water for years.

"Water flows by our area yet there are 1,200 houses in Rathcabbin that are on a boil water notice.Farmers in my area can't get water," he said.

Kilbarron based Independent Councillor, Joe Hannigan, complimented the council on their submission and said he lives adjacent to the lake and carefully observes the water levels throughout the year.

He expressed concerns that the water extraction plant which supplies Nenagh at Coolbawn, which occupies a two-acre site, requires at least one lorry load of sludge to be removed daily.

He questioned how much sludge the new water extraction plant, which will occupy a 160-acre site, will produce and how local communities will cope with the logistics of HGV traffic removing such large quantities.

"I can't see any advantage for the area," he said, adding that "it's time for people in the Lough Derg catchment area to understand they also will be impacted by this."

Cathaoirleach of the local authority, Cllr John Carroll (FF) described the plans as "environmental vandalism" and said quality potable drinking water "in Tipperary and Offaly is fast becoming a scarce resource."

CEO of the local authority, Sinead Carr, said the report reflects the concerns of elected members and Tipperary should not be disadvantaged to satisfy the demands of Dublin.

Before closing the debate, Director of Services, Brian Beck, thanked members for their unanimous support and their warm opinions on the extensive 150-page submission to An Coimisiún Pleanala.

A decision from  An Coimisiún Pleanala is expected to take two years or more before publication.