Vol. 519 No. 7
33 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to concerns expressed by the assistant Dublin city manager that the greater Dublin area would face severe water shortages within the next three to five years; the discussions, if any, he has had with the Dublin local authorities as how best to deal with this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14709/00]
In 1995 my Department appointed international consultants to carry out a strategic study to, inter alia, assess current and future demand on the water supply network in Dublin city and the greater Dublin area, including counties Wicklow and Kildare, and to identify the most cost effective approach to meeting those demands. Among the recommendations from the consultants' report were the water conservation programme jointly undertaken by Dublin Corporation and the other local authorities in the region which has significantly reduced water leakage and improved the efficiency of the distribution system; the proposals being advanced for the expansion the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant to increase its output by 68 Ml/d to 320 Ml/d; and the upgrading of the Leixlip water supply system, which is almost complete, to increase output to 175 Ml/d.
These and other measures have ensured that Dublin's water supply has been able to accommodate the unprecedented development in the area in the meantime and to meet the additional water demand without the need for supply restrictions which had previously been a feature of the region's water supply.
