Offaly TD Carol Nolan has described Irish Water’s Shannon Pipeline proposal to abstract water from the river Shannon and pump it to Dublin as “a project based on holes and leaks.”

Responding to Irish Water’s announcement on Tuesday to proceed with an application to An Bord Pleanála, Deputy Nolan stated that, “the submission is premature as there are too many gaps in the research and the issue of existing water leaks has not been adequately addressed.”

The scheme with an estimated cost of €1.3 billion proposes to take water from the Parteen basin in north Tipperary and supply it via 170km of pipes, to Dublin and major Midland towns close to the pipeline.

It will represent the largest capital investment project in the history of the State.

Deputy Nolan has backed calls from opponents and sceptics for an independent review prior to the proposal coming before An Bord Pleanála.

“I listened to local concerns at a meeting in Ballyeighan, Birr Co. Offaly and again at the launch in Dublin on Tuesday, and I am of the opinion that there are options that have not been adequately considered."

"Not only must the detail of the proposed Plan be forensically scrutinised,” stated Deputy Nolan, “but an up-to-date study into the prospecting of groundwater in the greater Dublin area must be undertaken along with increasing the targets for leakage reduction.”

Deputy Nolan concluded, “it makes no sense whatsoever to proceed with the abstraction of water from Tipperary to supply it to Dublin for it to pour into the ground through leaky pipes. This proposal warrants further investigation."