CHAPTER XII 
WATER CATCHMENT AREAS IN IRELAND 
In Ireland, as in the sister countries, the water supplies 
of cities and towns are varied in origin. Some com- 
munities obtain their water directly from the large rivers 
on which they are situated, as Cork from the river Lee, 
and Limerick from the Shannon. Many smaller towns 
are still dependent upon local pumps and wells, or upon 
springs. In this chapter notice is taken only of the 
local authorities who have gathering grounds, as such areas 
might in most cases be afforested with advantage to the 
purity of the water supply and to the health of the popu- 
lation. No official description of the water supplies of 
Irish towns has been published; and the pamphlet on 
this subject by Sir Charles A. Cameron, published in 
1885 (Fannin & Co., Dublin), is out of date. In the 
following pages information, mostly furnished by town 
surveyors, is given concerning the gathering grounds of 57 
cities and towns; but the acreage of ten catchment areas 
could not be ascertained. In the cases of ten towns, 
those marked with an asterisk, no official details have been 
obtainable, though application was made. The information 
cannot, then, claim to be exhaustive; nevertheless it is of 
considerable interest. Summarised, it shows that 47 cities 
and towns obtain their water supplies from 93,835 acres of 
gathering grounds; and if the returns were complete, the 
total would considerably exceed 100,000 acres. Muni- 
cipal ownership of such lands is very limited in Ireland, 
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