Options Working Paper
Between 2007 and 2011, ten new water supply options for meeting projected growth in water demand in the East and Midlands of Ireland were evaluated at a ‘high’ level as part of a legal process called Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Out of the ten Water Supply Options evaluated at this ‘high level,’ four were identified as technically viable options.
These four Options have now been independently validated by Irish Water and have been found to remain appropriate to be brought forward for further consideration in the planning process. All four technically viable options are being considered on an equal footing and no decision on a preferred option has been made to date.
Further relevant public input, via this consultation process, in combination with ‘on the ground’ investigations, will form a key part of the ‘Emerging Preferred Option’ selection process. Irish Water is now looking in detail at the four options in terms of Constraints or limiting factors which apply to defining each option (e.g. location of treatment plants and pipelines) and are setting out the Assessment Criteria which will be used in further options appraisals and in evaluating options relative to each other.
The Options Working Paper (published June 2015) confirms four technically viable options as appropriate for further consideration in the formal planning process. These options are:
