Lough Derg could answer Dublin water shortage

It is being considered whether it’s a viable option to take water from Lough Derg in the winter months and store it in a man-made reservoir in the areas of Rochfortbridge or Portarlington.

Dublin County Council has commissioned consultants to draw up plans, with the facility capable of holding enough water to support Dublin for four months.

The water quantity problems in Dublin are thought to be caused by a booming population, with a report suggesting that if investment falls through and the problem is not dealt with, then by 2016 there will be a need for permanent water rationing.

Another option currently being considered to help the problem is to extract water from the Irish Sea and then put it through a desalination process.

According to the International Lake Environment Committee, the deepest area of the Lough Derg is 36m.