The Environment Minister says a new Irish Water report shows the 'huge task' facing the utility in the years ahead.
The study says a new supply for Dublin and the east is urgent, with demand for water in the city to increase by 50 per cent by 2050.
That's the equivalent of an extra 215 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every day.
Minister Alan Kelly says opposition spokespeople are living in "cloud cuckoo land" over the scale of the challenge.
He says the Government was never under any illusions about the task and cost ahead.
