Uisce Éireann has issued a reminder that the deadline is approaching to submit comments on the public consultation forthe draft Regional Water Resource Plan – South East.
The final date for making submissions to the plan is 3 October 2023. The South East region covers approximately 9,200 square kilometres, encompassing counties Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wicklow, and Wexford.
Uisce Éireann's National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) will be the first resources plan for the entire public water supply in Ireland.
The water company said that given the scale of the area to be covered, the NWRP is being rolled out in two phases. The NWRP Framework Plan was first adopted in the summer of 2021 and Uisce Éireann has since moved into Phase 2 and is preparing four Regional Water Resources Plans.
The four regions are:
- Regional Water Resources Plan: North West
- Regional Water Resources Plan: South West
- Regional Water Resources Plan: South East
- Regional Water Resources Plan: Eastern and Midlands
Each Regional Plan is subject to its own consultation and, once adopted, all of the Regional Plans and the Framework Plan will be treated as a unified National Plan.
The draft RWRP-SE describes the South East Region and the current challenges faced now and into the future in terms of delivering a safe, secure and resilient water supply.
It identifies progress made to date, for instance through leakage reductions, capital investment works, and works in progress. It applies the methodology as adopted in the Framework Plan to:
(i) identify the Need across the 111 Water Resource Zones, in terms of quality, quantity, reliability and sustainability of supply
(ii) identify Plan-level solutions to meet this Need across the region.
There are 143 Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the South East Region, which collectively serve 369,240 people or 9% of the population of Ireland and 29,700 businesses via approximately 17,730 kilometres of distribution network.
Commenting on the public consultation, Mairéad Conlon, Regional Water Resources Strategy Lead for Uisce Éireann said:
“We wish to remind everyone that the public consultation on the draft Regional Water Resource Plan for the South East region is running until 3 October 2023. We wish to encourage everyone to make a submission on the draft plan. The development of a draft plan on how Uisce Éireann will supply water across the South East region is an important step. It will allow Uisce Éireann to review water supply needs across the region and consider local options to resolve these needs.”
“The draft Regional Plan will offer key benefits in terms of transformation of our supplies, including the ability to cater for growth and economic development in a sustainable way, through improved interconnectivity between our supplies to ensure balanced regional development and new sustainable water sources that are adaptable to climate change.”
Uisce Éireann is now seeking feedback on the public consultation for the draft RWRP-SE and associated SEA Environmental Report and Natura Impact Statement (NIS).
All submissions will be taken into consideration and responses to the issues raised will be summarised and published in a Consultation Report.
Click here to view the consultation documents.
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