Water Supply and Sanitation in The Republic of Ireland - Water Resources and Use

Water Resources and Use

Ireland has relatively abundant water resources, of which only about 2% are abstracted for human use. The main water-using sector is industry (74%), followed by domestic use (16%) and agriculture (10%) . Nevertheless water shortages that are possibly related to climate change have left some larger urban areas – particularly Dublin – struggling to meet demand during prolonged dry spells. The greater Dublin area faces acute water shortages in 40 or 50 years, according to a series of new studies that show water levels in the River Liffey could be just half of what they are today. As the city's population grows close to 2 million there will be a demand for an extra 300m litres of water per day, compared to 500m litres per day today. A 2006 feasibility study for the Greater Dublin water supply urges the immediate development of a new water source, pointing out that it will be needed no later than 2015-2016 to avert water rationing and the curtailment of economic growth. It also argues there is no time to waste because it will take at least a decade to build this proposed new source.

Also, regional variations in rainfall and population distribution give much less favourable conditions in the east of the country compared to other areas.

In Ireland, the majority of drinking water (83%) originates from surface water (i.e. rivers and lakes) with the remainder originating from groundwater (11%) and springs (6%).

Daily domestic consumption of water by customer is approximately 160 litres in Ireland. This compares to 150 litres in the UK where 25% of water users are metered, and 126 litres in Germany and 116 litres in Denmark where all water users are metered.