National Water Resources Plan (NWRP)

An approach to addressing our drinking water needs

The NWRP is our plan to identify how we will provide a sustainable, secure and reliable water supply to our customers for now and into the future whilst safeguarding the environment.

The NWRP will set out how we will balance the supply and demand for drinking water over the short, medium and long term.

It is a 25 year strategy to ensure we have a sustainable, secure and reliable drinking water supply for everyone.

Why do we need a National Water Resources Plan?

Ireland is not a water stressed country. We need to operate our water network to cater for growth and optimise this great natural resource.
 
Water is part of our everyday lives. It is essential to everything we do. Recent droughts and storms have left some customers with no water or reduced water, including a water conservation order (hosepipe ban) for the first time in Ireland.
 
To prevent this happening in the future we have to plan ahead.  
How we plan our water resources today will determine the water we can provide now and into the future. Irish Water’s first draft National Water Resources Plan outlines how we can do this.

Environmental Assessment and Consultation

Public consultation will be a key element in ensuring members of the public and all interested parties have the chance to be part of the development of the NWRP.

The NWRP is subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as outlined in the European Union (EU) SEA Directive (2001/42/EC) and Appropriate Assessment (under the EU Habitats Directive). The associated environmental reports will be consulted on also. 

Members of the public, interested parties and environmental authorities are being invited to contribute to the development of the NWRP as part of the SEA and AA process through public consultation at keys stages, as outlined in the NWRP Consultation Roadmap.

Environmental Assessment and Consultation
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Consultation 1

The first round of public consultation took place in November and December 2017. We asked for feedback on the Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report and invited comments and suggestions on what should be considered at this stage. For more information, view the Consultation Information Leaflet.

A Consultation Report summarising the feedback received in the first round of consultation will be published in the coming months.

Consultation 2

A further eight-week statutory public consultation will seek feedback on the draft NWRP and associated SEA Environmental Report and Natura Impact Statement (NIS). This will be published in 2020. 

All feedback received during the public consultations will be reviewed by the NWRP team and relevant feedback will be incorporated into the final National Water Resources Plan. 

We will publish a SEA Statement which will outline how environmental considerations have been integrated into the National Water Resources Plan and how consultation influenced its development.

Next Steps

  • A Consultation Report summarising the feedback received in the first round of consultation will be published alongside the draft NWRP
  • The final National Water Resources Plan will be published alongside the SEA Statement and second Consultation Report
  • This is the first National Water Resources Plan and Irish Water will undertake a review and update of this every five years at least 
  • We are committed to continuously engaging with stakeholders and we encourage feedback as we work through the development of the NWRP
  • There will be further opportunities to have your say when we are updating the plan in the future

Contact us

We are committed to sharing information with stakeholders as the plan progresses. A dedicated information service has been set up where members of the public and interested parties can contact the team via the following channels:

  • Email: nwrp@water.ie
  • Post: National Water Resources Plan, Irish Water, Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
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