Parteen Basin Pipeline

0:00The partying basin pipeline in Claire's local elected representatives have urged Claire County Council to be stronger in its condemnation of a proposed pipeline between the River Shannon and Dublin, the water supply project Eastern and Midlands region, which would see an average of 2% of the River Shannon's flow at the partying basin, abstracted to serve the drinking water demanded the greater Dublin area was a dominant topic of discussion at this week's meeting of the local authority. Elected members were asked to approve Chief Executive Gordon Daly's report on the effects of the proposed development on Claire. While the report states the project presents some concerns for the county and offers no direct water supply benefit, some present described the report as mild mannered and lenient. It was agreed that an amendment penned by Killaloo Municipal District's elected representatives stating their opposition to the project will be included as an appendix to the report, which will now be submitted to Ishka Aaron. Claire famed Sean Lines was at the meeting and spoke with the Clanlar independent councillor Michael Begley about his concerns. I think that the East Claire councillors with Tony O'Brien speaking in particular on it have put forward our put together a submission and that was intended to be an amendment to the Chief Executive's report.

1:15That's not allowed within the rules, so it's going to be attached as an appendix to that now. And my question I suppose would be that the concerns that we don't feel are properly and fully addressed and we're not even sure if they can be addressed needs to be dealt with and we need to get a proper response to that submission, which we think is somewhat stronger than the Chief Executive's report. And as he explained himself, he's constrained with some of his approach to the words word language he can use. What was your assessment of the Chief Executive's order? It was described as mild mannered by one councillor? Yeah, well I suppose in any time you get this situation it's going to be according to the book as it were, and I don't mean to be flippant about that, but it was soft in the sense that it didn't express serious concerns.

2:18Some concerns, but they weren't I think strong enough and I think that there. And you see we'll have to separate the assessment of this from the need of the Midlands in East and the construction of what they're proposing to the aftermath of the project when it's running. What if impact is it going to have on the not just the water in lockdown and the level of water, but of life in the lake and how it'll affect water levels in drought. What control DSP will have are otherwise because we know DSP control the levels of water in both Loughdirk, Arnacrocia and the Old Shannon and all of those, you know, are fairly difficult to control as it is, not to mind when you're going to have this huge project soaking water out of Loughdirk.

3:22Now, they will give you facts that it's a minor volume by comparison with the entire volume of a flow in Loughdirk and in the Shannon, but we don't know what the backup for that statement is. And we neither do we know what the design will be like to prevent what might occur in that pipeline, what will be soaked into it maybe from the river, especially at low levels where you could have all sorts of different matter. Let's say I've been pulled into it and what effect would that have on the levels in the Shannon. The other thing about it is that it doesn't take any consideration at all for the county of Claire, where all the entire shore of Loughdirk on the western side is. It's noted in the chief executive order that there is no benefit to county Claire.

4:22Absolutely, no benefit. And I mean, we all know that there's deficiency in water supply and in wastewater treatment in the whole of East Claire. There's no reason why there shouldn't be some proposals to have supplementary projects there that would support the deficiency in water and wastewater in East Claire in particular. That was the color independent counselor Michael Begley speaking with Sean lines on this matter. And for more on it, I've been speaking with the Kila Loo Fina fall counselor Tony O'Brien and he began by telling me about the risks posed by water abstraction from Loughdirk. You see no submission to a commission for Anna. We have a number of risks, not just environmental, but they are important. But, you know, there are a number of risks and the potential. I've always said is the river Shannon is the greatest natural resource that we have in East here.

5:23You know, it's it's it's dogs. People for recreation, for business. You know, it's it's the cornerstone of what we have to offer as well as our mountains and and and so forth. And, you know, the potential that this project has to absolutely wipe that old and destroy it is enormous. And it's a very real threat to our to like the back down in East Claire. So we're really concerned, you know, I mean, I've looked at, you know, the river Shannon is just won't be based. And it's not it's people say, you know, there's plenty of water there. Well, you know, there is plenty of water, maybe in January, November, December, January, February. But as the summer comes along, you'll find best, you know, the water level is dropped and decreased. You know, it can make accessibility into harbours and marinas difficult.

6:29And, you know, to add this abstraction to all that was really threatened the ecology and the wildlife and the river Shannon. You know, I mean, even the water really concerned. Yeah, the water issue has been highlighted in the submission to on commercial planala several towns near the Shannon, the likes of Mount Shannon, Scarif or Brian's bridge white gate already facing water supply constraints. Do you believe those needs should be addressed before water is exported elsewhere, given that, you know, one of the key points in the report is that the project offers no direct water supply benefit to county Claire, which I guess is stark given the supply constraints there already. Well, let me say this about this is an expenditure. And this is these are your Instagram. This is an expenditure of anything up to $7 billion, $7 billion, your investment for Irish water with absolutely no beneficial gain or benefits or anything for county care.

7:40Not just the pounds of villages that you mentioned, you know, we have over 50 communities in county clear with obvious water treatment plants. So, I mean, if you were to ask me and bring the monetary situation into it, I would say there certainly is an opportunity to spend $7 billion on key infrastructure developments. And it's far other than extracting a natural resource, which is the water from the river Shannon piping at 170 kilometers right across the center of the country into an antiquated leaking system in the greater Dublin area. I also want to say, you know, let's not get paid up in in a them versus us situation. And I said it's from the access Dublin and the Midlands and and every town in this country deserves and should have a regular supply of good clean drinking water every community.

8:50So, but the way they're going about providing for Dublin without exploring all the alternatives, the amount of money they're spending on is. And the damage that they're not they're going to do not just to the river Shannon and its environment and all the tributary rivers and so forth along the way. To the spine of the country, you know, 170 kilometers of a pipeline right up to the spine of the country and all that doesn't change is in all the way leads and all the I suppose, you know, of development land and so forth around that particular piece of infrastructure, you know, so. If you want to talk about the investment and the money, there is certainly an opportunity for this year and I'm sure clear isn't you know isn't the only country that has a deficiency in wastewater treatment plants in good serviceable drinking water and so forth.

9:52That needs to be addressed and I just think that the investment of seven billion euros if you want to talk about the investment should be addressed in a better more proactive and more evenly spread. We are doing it. Yeah, and a couple of points you highlighted there Tony, I did put to ish Karen senior program manager Gary Gibson when he was on morning focus a few weeks back. That one about alternative options that ish Karen insists they did examine alternative options and I also put the point that you were making and many others including our listeners have been in touch about which is that they should sort out the leaks from the antiquated system in Dublin and that that will go a long way to addressing their supply shortage, but the point was made to me that even if they did do that, they would still need water from from from elsewhere. Yeah, but this is a water proposition that they would still need water as well, but I mean, the first thing I mean you started the B6 first of all, if you fix the leak, you know, if you go on and go on to their website for in full leaks alone, they say something in the region of 450 million levers.

11:09I do it in fixing in full leaks in or around the Dublin area. Now, they have invested. I don't know if something had the figures escaped me at the moment. I don't have been here for the 150 million over a couple of years. That sounds like a lot of money, but it actually affects comparisons to other European countries and other places. It's a significant amount and certainly more money. And I believe more finance should be directed in the conservation of water, are you repairing the leaks, upgrading the systems that they have already supplying the Dublin region. There's no shortage of water in Dublin. There's absolutely no shortage of water in Dublin. And, you know, I'm, I'm just conscious that they're taking the easy option here. This theme and this was cost, I suppose, plastic children and under people back around 2006.

12:13By the then Dublin City Council as the great savior of Dublin and the need for Dublin to get water. And they have never, ever really explored any alternatives since then. My information is that people were brought in to explore the possibility of as the first in groundwater being available in around the corner, which is only about 20 kilometers in Dublin. Around the corner. So I don't believe it's here when they say that they have explored every possibility. You know, we're just to say, you say it only, but they would say they did examine alternative options and they did say that to me.

13:17They also mentioned it's mentioned in the submission that, you know, and obviously where you're located and anywhere near Lockdurg and either of Shannon. Tourism is key. It's a major part of the East Clare economy. The report warns reduced flows could expose banks and mud flats and affect angling quality, which I'm sure have those concerns been raised by tourism operators and anglers about potential changes to water levels. Absolutely. And, you know, it's a very really possibility. And again, we have to take, you know, if you haven't answered the point, what's going to happen in the event of your flows in the event of the water number is dropping. Just say, OK, we turn off. You can turn off a pipe, which is a gravity for 170 kilometers of what you do. You leave the water stagnant in the pipe. And then it floats. This water has already been treated by the way in in Bartel.

14:22So, you know, if there's a drought in in Kineleau, our. Scarif for all Shannon. There's just the probability is that there's also a drought in W. So there we want water, you know, again, it doesn't make sense. And I think people should be aware of also that in 2000 in New Year's Eve, which isn't a century ago or not. There was a drought, but the ESB, according to figures that I have seen, ceased operating the production of electricity in our Russia for a period of 74 days. And they couldn't generate electricity because they had to divert all the water over the power of being watered. So I mean, one of the things I've seen in one of the reports was that they don't like to close down Polafolka.

15:23Polafolka was built as a reservoir of the Servedubl. And it turned into a hydroelectric supplier to the system as well. To me, it was built as it produced a lot less electricity. So, you know, true of that doubt and use it for what it was built for, a reservoir to Servedubl. The other point I would just to finish off the point about the question, if there was a law floor and for 74 days in 2018. What was the Irish water going to do with that? Only extract 2% of that law, which takes it down even further, which decimates the ecology, the fishing, the entrance to Malena's, the banks of the river, but there's a possibility of them not being able to sustain themselves. So, I mean, we all come here, have absolutely passive profit, I suppose.

16:24If we don't, if we don't, if we don't, if we don't, if we don't, if we don't, if we don't, if we hold it here. Just finally, the council requesting a public oral hearing before Uncomuchum Planole makes a decision. How likely do you think that is and why do you believe that step is necessary? I don't know how likely it is, is my honest answer. It's very hard to preempt anything that comes out of Uncomuchum Planole, you know, but I think it's a wise move. I wouldn't disagree with the three big seconds. It allows people to put in an oral hearing to put their cases. Maybe people, maybe they weren't able to articulate it fully on paper and so forth, you know. But as well as that, I think the peace and discussion, heightness, the awareness and allows people to realize the dangers of husband proposed here. You know, this, this project, it seems to me to be a pet project by Irish Waterishke Irn that they have come up with.

17:31And to me, you know, I'm very disappointed with what I'm going to be calling on our TDs. Particularly, actually, going with TDs, which I'm the member of the therapy. And I accept that fully. That they're putting this forward as a necessary, you know, a special infrastructure development. This is not a special infrastructure in infrastructure development. Taking a natural resource, which is water and piping it to another region from the Midwest up to the greater Dublin area for the benefits of industry economies and the people of Dublin to the detriment. No, to the detriment, if there was no detrimental effect. So no problem, put into detriment of the people in the Midwest. And, you know, we have to stand up and be called in on that. Okay, we do have to leave it there for the moment. It's no doubt a story we will return to.

18:31But Councillor Tony O'Brien, thank you for joining me on this morning focus. Thanks. Thank you. That was Tony O'Brien. It was spoke with earlier on. And before that, you heard Michael Begley, the clonara independent Councillor speaking. We're John Lines.