Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If there is an interruption in supply we are bunched. There is no way any of the other rivers or sources of water, groundwater or otherwise, can meet the demand for water in Dublin.

I can be corrected on the exact location of the following. Due to a major supply going into Dublin and a geological fault in the rock, and theoretically it could happen tomorrow or in 1,000 years, there could be a major significant interruption in supply to the greater Dublin area. All of this is due to an accident of geology. Is that a fact? It is a fact that the water supply at this moment is very precarious.

A company called Intel spent €13 million augmenting the water supply in Kildare a couple of years ago. There is no solution that does not involve increasing and augmenting the water supply in Dublin. There is no solution that meets the risks, potential or otherwise. There is no solution that meets the demand for the greater Dublin area for economic development. There is no solution to saying we have a huge supply of water in Ireland but in the wrong place. That is the question that Deputy Ó Broin raised in terms of regional development. Mr. Grant is quite right that it is a huge prize for Ireland if we augment our water supply and locate it where it will be needed. That is my honest opinion too. We just have to concentrate on this aspect.

I am disappointed in one sense with what Mr. Grant has said but understand that he represents Irish Water. One must go beyond the legalities, planning permissions and reach out to communities in a bigger and greater way. There is no advantage that does not include communities buying into this project 100%. That is the only way because otherwise this project will not succeed. It will be delayed and fought over. There will be protracted legal cases. That is the gap.

I have always been impressed with Mr. Grant. He is one of the few officials from Irish Water that has impressed me. He has an amazing encyclopaedic knowledge of these matters.

In terms of the non-Garryhinch proposals of Irish Water, how many days of water supply to serve Dublin is stated in the proposals right now? What is the name of the current reservoir?