The River Shannon Protection Alliance (RSPA), Ireland, has floated the idea of a desalination plant for capital city Dublin, reports Limerick Leader.
Responding to an Irish Water proposal for a €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) project to pump water 172 kilometres from the River Shannon to Dublin, RSPA director Gerard Siney said that viable alternatives such as desalination had not been explored adequately. Siney called for an independent assessment from an overseas expert to evaluate alternatives for Dublin’s water supply.
Limerick councillor John Loftus added: “As far as I’m concerned it’s not about the cost but spend the money of fixing leaks instead or look at other alternatives such as desalination. We have the River Shannon running through our city and the tidal effects haven’t even entered their mind.”
The comments were made at a meeting of Limerick Council’s environmental strategic policy committee in March 2018.