The role of groundwater as a strategic and economic asset in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, groundwater contributes 77 Ml/d out of 700 Ml/d in public supply, and a further 31 Ml/d to private users. Of the latter, agriculture takes about 11 Ml/d and industry uses 18 Ml/d; a further 2 Ml/d are consumed by up to 15 000 people for rural domestic needs. Groundwater is a protected asset and, as such, its use should be maximized for both strategic and commercial gain. Increased demand on the public supply system by the year 2001 will involve no new major groundwater input, but private exploitation of groundwater will increase, particularly by the specialist industries such as electronics and water bottling.