Sir, – Your article of Friday 13th points out that Uisce Éireann’s “Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region” intends to abstract 2 per cent of the annual average flow of water from the river Shannon (“Councils warn of risks to tourism and agriculture from Shannon water project”, Environment).
While, for many months of the year, this will indeed represent a relatively small amount of water, during summer months and periods of reduced rainfall, abstraction of 2 per cent has the potential to create severe water depletion downstream.
Just when Dublin is most in need of water during the summer months, the river flow will be at its lowest in the Shannon and therefore there is the potential for significant ecological damage. – Yours, etc,
ANTHONY LEDDIN,
RM Block
Castleconnell,
Co Limerick.
