The Regional Water Resource Plan – North West (RWRP-NW) will set out options for providing a more secure, reliable and sustainable water supply for 732,700 customers in the North West region over the next 25 years.
Irish Water has launched a three-month public consultation on the draft plan, which includes Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Monaghan, Sligo and parts of Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath and Roscommon. Eight islands off the coast of Ireland are also included in the region.
Irish Water's National Water Resources Plan will be the first resources plan for the entire public water supply in Ireland. The National Plan will identify the needs across our existing supplies and the challenges and opportunities that we face over the coming years including legislation, climate change, the environment, growth and economic development. The National Plan will allow us to understand the actions and activities required to transform our water supplies and provide a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable water supply for our current and future customers. The National Plan will also provide a transparent roadmap on how Irish Water will plan for its water assets to align with national policy.
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Given the scale of the area to be covered, the National Plan is being rolled out in two phases. The National Plan was first adopted in the summer of 2021 and Irish Water has since moved into Phase 2 and is preparing four Regional Water Resources Plans.
The four regions are:
• Regional Water Resources Plan: North West
• Regional Water Resources Plan: South West
• Regional Water Resources Plan: South East
• Regional Water Resources Plan: Eastern and Midlands.
Each Regional Plan is subject to its own consultation and, once adopted, all of the Regional Plans and the Framework Plan will be treated as a unified National Plan.
Public consultation on the draft Regional Water Resources Plan North West launches today, 22 November, and will continue until 21 February 2023.
Speaking at the launch of the public consultation, Mairéad Conlon, Regional Water Resources Strategy Lead for Irish Water said: "The development of a draft plan on how Irish Water will supply water across the North West region is an important step. It will allow Irish Water to review water supply needs across the region and consider local options to resolve these needs.
"The draft Regional Plan will offer key benefits in terms of transformation of our supplies, including the ability to cater for growth and economic development in a sustainable way, through improved interconnectivity between our supplies to ensure balanced regional development and new sustainable water sources that are adaptable to climate change.
"The draft plan sets out how we envisage water will be supplied to homes and businesses across counties Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Monaghan, Sligo and parts of Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath and Roscommon over the next 25 years. Eight islands off the coast of Ireland are also included in the region. Our team hopes to meet as many people as possible and hear from them about their local areas, to ensure that our plan is the best fit for the North West region."
