Draft Regional Water Resources Plan - South East

Draft Regional Water Resources Plan - South East

The development of the Regional Water Resources Plan South East (RWRP-SE) will allow Uisce Éireann for the first time to review water supply needs collectively for the entire South East region across the spectrum of risk including quality, quantity, reliability, and sustainability. The plan will allow us to consider local options and larger regional options that can address water needs across multiple supplies.

The outcomes and benefits of this Regional Preferred Approach include:

• Improved performance across all of the water supplies in terms of Quality and Quantity;
• Strategic transformation from the existing fragmented supply to a more resilient and sustainable interconnected supply; and
• Ability to support growth and economic development across the South East Region.

Engagement

Uisce Éireann is committed to continuously engaging with stakeholders and we encourage feedback as we work through the development of the RWRP SE.

If you would like to be part of an online public webinar as part of the consultation on the draft RWRP SE and associated environmental reports, and for Uisce Éireann representatives to answer any questions you may have that will assist you in making your submission, please provide an expression of interest via the following links below.

Webinars will be facilitated on the following dates:

Public Webinar 1– 25 July: 10-11am
Public Webinar 2– 26 July: 12.30-1.30pm
Public Webinar 3– 13 September: 10-11am
Public Webinar 4– 14 September: 12.30-1.30pm

Regional Water Resources Plan South East Webinar Recording

If you're not able to attend any of the above public webinars, check out the pre-recording of the presentation below to give you an overview of the draft plan.

How can I get involved?

Uisce Éireann is now seeking feedback through public consultation on the draft RWRP-South East and associated SEA Environmental Report and Natura Impact Statement.

A 12-week consultation will run from the 11 July 2023 to 3 October 2023, during which time the draft RWRP South East and associated environmental reports can be viewed and downloaded from the website and at your local authority’s planning office during their normal opening hours. Information on the consultation can be viewed on the RWRP-SE consultation leaflet. This is your opportunity to feed into the process of how Uisce Éireann identifies the issues in the region and determines what the opportunities are to provide a more resilient water supply in your area. Uisce Éireann is also seeking your feedback on how it will develop options to address any problems identified, before applying them to specific areas.

Have your say

Any member of the public wishing to make a submission can do so by email or post by  3 October 2023 as follows:

Email:  nwrp@water.ie

Post: National Water Resources Plan, Uisce Éireann, P.O. Box 13216, Glenageary, Co. Dublin

Freephone: 1800 46 36 76

The dedicated helpline is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday for anyone who would like to discuss any aspect of the consultation prior to making a submission. All submissions will be taken account of and responses to the issues raised will be summarised in a Consultation Report, which will be published in 2024.

Submissions will not be responded to individually, but each will be listed in the consultation report. Individual submissions will be reported anonymously and feedback from organisations will be attributed to them.

Feedback received outside the scope of the draft RWRP-SE and the associated environmental reports will not be considered as part of this public consultation process and will not be reported on. Any feedback in relation to in flight Uisce Éireann projects, or in reference to any other area of the Uisce Éireann business should be sent directly to those project teams, unless applicable to how they are included in the RWRP-SE. Uisce Éireann project contact details can be found here.

In line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) effective from 25 May 2018, Uisce Éireann’s updated Privacy Notice, is available to view online here.

Consultation Questions

In order to help members of the public or organisations in making a submission, and to ensure clarity on the scope of what we would like consultees to consider in their feedback, Uisce Éireann is inviting submissions on the following questions. However, this is just an aide and all submissions received in response to the consultation will be considered.  

1. In Section 2 of the draft RWRP-SE we set out information on the current situation in the Region in respect of the population growth and economic development and how we considered this in our water resource planning approach. Do you have any comments on this?
2. Within the South East Region we consider 111 water supplies (Water Resource Zones) represented across 3 Study Areas. Do you have any comments on the Study Areas?
3. Section 3 of the draft RWRP-SE and each of the Technical Appendices 1-3 outline the Need in terms of water quality, quantity, sustainability and resilience across the region and in each of the Study Areas. Do you have any comment on the Need?
4. Section 4, 7 and 8 of the draft RWRP-SE, and the Technical Appendices 1-3, set out solutions we can undertake to address some of these needs in the interim, while we develop the preferred approaches. Do you have you any comments on this?
5. Section 6 and the Technical Appendices 1-3 of the draft RWRP-SE summarises our process for developing options to address the needs in the SE Region. Do you have any comments on this process?
6. Section 7 sets out how we identify our Preferred Approach to addressing the need at WRZ and Study Area level. Each, of the Technical Appendices for Study Areas 1-3 (K-M) and Environmental Review for Study Areas 1-3 (K-M) will set out how the Preferred Approach has been identified in more detail. Have you any feedback on this?
7. The draft RWRP-SE looks at a range of solutions to meet the need in a WRZ or Study Area. These solutions are not limited by distance, therefore, some solutions for the WRZ or Study Area will involve interconnections across multiple supply systems. Have you any comments on the Regional Preferred Approach?
8. Do you have any comments on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) which accompany the draft RWRP-SE?
9. We have produced a RWRP Consultation Roadmap. Do you have any comments on this?
10. How would you like Uisce Éireann to communicate with you as the RWRPs progress?

Find your local authority’s planning office

Hard copies of the draft RWRP-SE and associated documents are available to view at Local Authority Planning offices. To find your nearest Local Authority’s planning office, please use the download link.

Regional Water Resources Plan South East video

Next Steps

1. Once the public consultation period has concluded, all feedback received during the public consultation will be reviewed by the National Water Resource Plan team and all relevant feedback will be incorporated into the Post Consultation Report and, where appropriate, incorporated into the final Regional Water Resources Plan South East.
2. Once the complete NWRP has been finalised, compromising the Framework Plan and the four Regional Water Resources, they will be treated as a single plan.