The majesty of the River Shannon is to be harnessed and up to 1,000 construction jobs created if plans by Dublin City Council to take water from the the iconic waterway to provide drinking water for the capital are approved.

Details of the controversial scheme to take water from Lough Derg and store it in a giant reservoir in the midlands were revealed on July 19, 2010 and the entire project could be completed in just six years.

The council plans to draw water from the northern part of Lough Derg near Portumna in Co Galway during the winter when there is a risk of flooding.

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Under the €540 million plan, water will be stored in the Garryhinch cutaway bog near Portarlington in Co Offaly before being pumped to Dublin.

The reservoir will be built by Bord na Mona, which owns the bog, and the water will be treated before being transported to the capital through a pipe buried two metres underground.

The Dublin region is currently supplied with drinking water from four treatment plants that can produce a maximum of 550 million litres a day. Average demand is between 530 million and 540 million litres, which means there is little or no spare capacity in the system.

The proposal would have to be approved by An Bord Pleannala under a fast-track planning process for vital infrastructure projects and, if it gets the green light, up to 1,000 jobs would be created during the construction period, Bord na Mona said.

It would also create a natural amenity that could be used for sailing, fishing and bird watching along the lines of a reservoir at Rutland in England which supplies water to parts of London, draws one million visitors a year and houses Britain's largest inland sailing school and angling area, he added.

(BMcC/KMcA)