Shannon water for Dublin

standardg60 · 05-03-2026 12:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124286767#Comment_124286767

Because it's not going directly into the supply. It's going to a 75 million litre reservoir. That reservoir will have an initial pumping capacity of 40ML per day, with potential future increase to 100ML.

In terms of Dublin water usage, I think that could be described as a small add-on.

plodder · 05-03-2026 04:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124286299#Comment_124286299

~~Don't know if it's changed since, but~~ Meta's datacentre in Clonee used 928,000 m3 of water in 2021 - by far the most of all its data centres world-wide (almost double the second biggest in the US). The water is not recycled. It evaporates into the air.

The figure has dropped since 2021. In 2023, it reduced to 659,000 m3 still a massive amount of water (equivalent to over 5000 houses).

Podge_irl · 05-03-2026 07:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124287942#Comment_124287942

It is an utterly immaterial amount of water compares to overall usage though. That would be 0.3% of Dublin's water usage.

Dublin needs water for people not data centres.

MacDanger · 05-03-2026 08:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124286802#Comment_124286802

Ah okay, this may have been what I was missing - they can lower a weir to maintain the downstream flow and that's why measuring the upstream levels is a valid measurement 👍

MacDanger · 05-03-2026 08:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124286879#Comment_124286879

No - see previous post to BPL

John_Rambo · 05-03-2026 09:00PM

Wrong thread, sorry.

John_Rambo · 05-03-2026 09:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288516#Comment_124288516

Agreed 100% and it's important to note, the regions receiving Shannon water support the wider population and the entire economy, not just one sector.

Those areas host multiple industries beyond data centres, including dairy processing plants, breweries, soft drink bottling plants, meat processing plants and abattoirs, pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, semiconductor fabrication facilities, hospitals, industrial laundries, food processing plants, hotels, golf courses, swimming pools and leisure centres, car wash facilities, laundrettes, commercial kitchens, beverage distilleries, vegetable washing and packing facilities, concrete production plants, construction sites, horticulture and plant nurseries, garden centres, landscaping businesses, dairy farms, pig farms, poultry farms, sports pitches, shopping centres, schools and universities, factories, refrigeration plants, bakeries, bottling warehouses, fish processing plants, ice production facilities, vehicle fleet wash depots, airport ground services, port operations and fire training facilities.

In other words, the water infrastructure supports the entire functioning of society and the economy, not a single industry.

plodder · 05-03-2026 09:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288694#Comment_124288694

I agree water is not just for domestic use, but in many of those examples, they are either producing something with the water (mmm… beer!!) or recycling it or at least returning it to the ground somehow. There's just something egregiously wasteful about open cycle cooling, releasing water vapour into the atmosphere rather then closed cycle air-conditioning.

standardg60 · 05-03-2026 10:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288595#Comment_124288595

Cool, so you're ok with the project now?

Can you persuade the rest of the locals?

Sam Russell · 05-03-2026 10:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124287942#Comment_124287942

Evaporating water is a very inefficient method of cooling in our climate. Heat pumps will be better.

standardg60 · 05-03-2026 10:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288721#Comment_124288721

Is that water not all metered and paid for though?

I'd be far more accepting of that than people watering their grass for nothing.

Rocket_GD · 05-03-2026 10:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288961#Comment_124288961

Did you read the link I sent you?

MacDanger · 05-03-2026 11:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288912#Comment_124288912

Yeah, seems to make sense and I wouldn't have any issue with it whatsoever.

As I've said before, I'm not from the Shannon region or the Eastern seaboard so I've no real money in the game but I don't think it's unreasonable for people who are potentially affected to have questions and concerns and if they can be answered in a genuine way, it'll help move the project along a lot more than dismissing the objections as simply "anti Dublin" bias

Busman Paddy Lasty · 06-03-2026 03:25AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124289239#Comment_124289239

Hopefully there will be public consultations and information events like there was for Metrolink for example.

I know you say you aren't local to the Shannon so don't have skin in the game. But unless the pipe route is going through a local person's land, the locals don't have skin in the game. Living near a river or lake doesn't give tens of thousands of people ownership of the water. Some mansions and estates have fishing rights with the land but not talking about that.

eoin91 · 06-03-2026 09:34AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124288961#Comment_124288961

AWS, Microsoft, Google, etc spend hundreds of millions building and running datacentres right across the world and have done so for years, putting huge effort into saving every penny they can at every corner, as at their scale a couple pennies saved can be multiplied into multi-million euro savings on electricity and water bills.

Pumping and compressing air to cool a datacentre would take an enormous amount of electricity with the sheer volume of heat they produce vs just letting cold water flow and collect the heat to the point it evaporates and then releasing that outside. Yes it uses water, but that's better than the electricity it would take.

Sam Russell · 06-03-2026 10:37AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124289066#Comment_124289066

It is a USA report of little relevance to our climate.

Rocket_GD · 06-03-2026 10:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124289806#Comment_124289806

Why are you being so willfully ignorant of the fact that data centres use tonnes of water?

You seem to be treating it as some sort of conspiracy when it's just a clear and plain fact.

The report states that yes, less water is needed for cooler climates but that they still require vast quantities for cooling and 80% of the water used evaporates in the process.

John_Rambo · 06-03-2026 11:55AM

It's important to note that data centres, like any other business, pay for their water on a metered basis, charged per cubic metre of water used.

CrabRevolution · 06-03-2026 03:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124284772#Comment_124284772

It's not rare at all for one city to account for a lot of a country's population. It's well established that unless a country has been split between multiple different countries in the past (i.e. Germany, Italy, Poland) there will nearly always be one dominant city.

Most European countries have one city which contains ~25% of the population. Some have numbers well over 30% (e.g.Athens, Vienna, Budapest, Copenhagen) and some closer to 20% (Paris, Brussels, Prague) but nearly all are in the range of 20-30%

Dublin has 28.5%, so is not an outlier at all.

saabsaab · 15-03-2026 04:54PM

Making the case against the water pipeline. Huge questions about the project..

https://www.pleanala.ie/publicaccess/Case%20Documentation/323980/Third%20Party%20Documents/Submissions/Submission%20-%20River%20Shannon%20Environmental%20Protection%20Alliance%20Company%20Ltd%20-%2024.02.26.pdf

Sam Russell · 15-03-2026 11:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124314673#Comment_124314673

TLDR: That is a very extensive submission to ACP. I would immagine the fees for compiling it would be eye-watering.

I think relying on 18 days of drought is like relying of the 2010 freeze where the temperature dropped to -20 degrees for a week or so for the only time ever. If the were to reoccur, we would live with it as a once it a century or even a decade, but a prolonged shortage of water annually in Dublin is completely intolerable.

For most of the last century, draining the Shannon was a perennial election promise. If the Shannon was drained, it would bring untold wealth to the farmers of the region. Of course draining the bogs did not help.

Now just removing 2% of the flow becomes a new political objective. How times change.

standardg60 · 16-03-2026 01:08AM

(d) Misapplication of the Test in the Present Case
The Appropriate Assessment relies heavily on long-term average flow metrics (2% abstraction at
Parteen) while failing to lawfully assess low-flow and drought conditions, which are the periods of
maximum ecological sensitivity for the Lower River Shannon SAC. As demonstrated by the
quantitative evidence before the decision-maker: At dry summer flows (15 m³/s), the proposed
abstraction of 3.82 m³/s would remove approximately 25.5% of available flow. At extreme low-flow
conditions (10 m³/s), abstraction would remove approximately 38.2% of available flow.

This bit from page 11 was enough to show me that it's either pure scaremongering or complete ignorance.

It's not 'available' flow, it's the allocated flow, and there will always be enough in reserve to supply both.

Sam Russell · 16-03-2026 11:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124316016#Comment_124316016

There is an awful lot of water in the Shannon - much of it in loughs - Lough Derg could supply quite a bit with no bother..

saabsaab · 16-03-2026 02:03PM

This project will be brought to the EU on environmental grounds and probably fail there -then…So much spent for nothing and Dublin still expanding instead of expanding the likes of Athlone where there is space and water.

csirl · 16-03-2026 02:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124285000#Comment_124285000

Should they built along the banks of the Shannon rather that peppered throughout suburban Dublin?

John_Rambo · 16-03-2026 02:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124316896#Comment_124316896

EU environmental rules are already part of the Irish planning process, so saying that a project will be taken to Europe and will “probably fail” there is speculation. Large infrastructure projects regularly face EU scrutiny, but they usually proceed after environmental assessments, mitigation and design changes. Ireland has already seen this with projects like the Corrib Gas Project, the M3 and the Dublin Port Tunnel. When it comes to water and sanitation Europe will be sympathetic.
As we know Several European countries already move water long distances by pipeline or aqueduct to supply major cities or dry regions. Distances of 300 km are not unusual, which is broadly similar to the proposed to this project in much more arid places with less flooding.

The idea that everything collapses once it reaches “Europe” simply does not match how the system works.

And the argument about regional development misses the point. Dublin’s growth means infrastructure has to support the population that is already there. Developing places like Athlone is important, but it does not remove the need to secure water supply for the country’s largest city.

And it is no secret that you have a long running dislike of Dublin. You have thousands of negative and sometimes horrible posts about the city and it's dwellers and have started a few threads on this subject. Your consistent position is that Dublin should simply stop growing and that industry and population should be diverted elsewhere.

But that is not how infrastructure planning works. Cities grow where the population and economic activity already exist, and infrastructure has to support that reality. Saying “Dublin should just stop growing” is not a policy, it is a preference.

The last time you started a thread on this exact issue you even ran a poll, and the overwhelming majority of people voted that the project should go ahead. So while you may personally dislike the idea of investment in Dublin infrastructure, the broader view clearly does not match that.

saabsaab · 16-03-2026 03:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124317004#Comment_124317004

What isn't speculation is that Objectors to the Shannon Water Project (the Shannon Pipeline) are planning to take the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Opponents, including community groups and local representatives, argue that the project breaches several EU directives. Key details regarding the legal challenge include:

Objectors argue the proposal violates the EU Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive.

Environmental Concerns: The project proposes extracting up to 300 million litres of water daily from the River Shannon at Parteen Basin. Concerns are that this will lower water levels in Lough Derg and the River Shannon, damaging habitats and protected species.

Legal Standing: The Fight the Shannon Pipeline group and other opponents aim to use the ECJ to challenge the project's compliance, particularly concerning environmental assessments.

Legal Landscape: A recent ruling by the ECJ (November 2025) found that Ireland is in breach of the EU Water Framework Directive regarding water abstraction, which critics argue supports their case against the project.

The project, led by Uisce Éireann faces significant opposition due to its potential impact on the Mid-West region.

Uisce doesn't have a good track record on environmental compliance which I am sure will be taken into account by the EU in their decision.

Strange that anyone who is critical of Dublin is 'horrible' why so thin skinned?

Red Silurian · 16-03-2026 03:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124316912#Comment_124316912

Yeah not a bad shout…

Another decent shout, since they don't need filtered or treated potable water, they could build them on our coastline

John_Rambo · 16-03-2026 03:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124317111#Comment_124317111

You’re still not addressing the point that was made.

Nobody said a project can’t be challenged in Europe. Large infrastructure projects often are. The point was that saying it will go to Europe and will probably fail is speculation. EU environmental law is already embedded in the Irish planning process, and plenty of projects that faced EU scrutiny still proceeded after assessment, mitigation or redesign. Corrib, the M3 and the Port Tunnel are obvious examples.

The second issue is the Dublin point. Again, you’re reframing what was said. Nobody claimed criticism of Dublin isn’t allowed. The point made was about your posting pattern. You’ve started threads on the subject already and thousands of posts about Dublin and your hatred. That context matters when people are trying to understand the angle of your argument.

Criticism of policy is completely fair. But when the same poster repeatedly frames every discussion around Dublin as a negative, people are naturally going to question whether the argument is about planning policy or about your long standing dislike of the city and the people that live there and everything about it. It's obvious looking at your posting history that you're simply against this because of some childish gripe you have about your capital.

And just to be clear, none of that changes the core issue: Dublin already has the population it has. Whether people like that or not, the infrastructure has to support the population that is actually there. Regional development is important, but it doesn’t magically remove the need to secure water supply for the country’s largest city.

JohnDoe2025 · 16-03-2026 03:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124317111#Comment_124317111

They may not even get leave from the High Court to bring a case to Europe.

The other major problem they have is that not proceeding with the project is more damaging to the environment than proceeding with it.

If you don't build the pipeline and have population growth in Athlone instead, you will have to pump untreated wastewater to Dublin or dump it in the Shannon as the infrastructure isn't there to treat it in Athlone. Maybe you could rename the group as the Pollute the Shannon Protest Group.

Shannon water for Dublin

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