Posted on February 21, 2017
Many harbours around Donegal are clogging up with silt – but no plan is in place to see what the top priority locations are for remedial dredging works.
Silted up harbours can lead to restricted movements of boats, and in the past this has led to particular difficulties for some ferry operators and fishermen, lifeboat services and also for leisure craft.
This week Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill backed a call for a priority list to be drawn up identifying which harbours in Donegal are in most need of dredging.
“There should be a list drawn up, identifying what is required and it could be done on a rolling basis. Someone should be designated in the council to apply for the licences and should be answerable,” he said.
He recalled how a delay in dredging had caused serious problems at Magheraroarty Pier.
There have also been issues in the past in a number of years in other locations, including Killybegs, Burtonport, Donegal Town, Buncrana and Greencastle.
The issue was highlighted on Monday at a meeting in Lifford of Donegal Co. Council’s Economic, Enterprise and Planning Strategic Policy Committee.
Seamus Bovaird, of the Greencastle Harbour Users Group, outlined the situation in Greencastle where some fishing vessels using the harbour are unable to off-load their valuable catch at low tide.
This can lead to trawlers having to wait until the middle of the night for sufficient water levels and this has a knock-on effect with on-shore workers having to be paid for working outside of normal hours.
The delay in unloading can also have cost implications on the export of produce, most notably to England and Spain.
He called for a dredging priority list to be drawn up by Donegal Co. Council, which is responsible for harbours in the county.
He claimed that recently the local authority was unable to get funding from the Department of the Marine for dredging in Greencastle because it had no valid dredging licence.
“We have been pushing the council for eight to ten years to get its act together,” he said.
“Every harbour should have a valid dredging licence so that when money comes along, it can be used for dredged,” he explained.
He also pointed out that on two previous occasions money for dredging had come through late in the year, but with the licences about to expire, all the work had to be done in just one month – and that at a time when the weather was not good.
Under the current arrangements, two licences are required; one for dredging, and the other for disposing of the material churned up as a result of the process. The licences now available can be valid for up to five years, but the application process involves two different government departments.
“Speed is not bred into either of them and we have to go through the same hoops every time,” he wryly remarked, adding: “Why can’t the council have a plan, with five year licences.”
He also called for long term planning for the county’s marine infrastructure.
Source: DonegalNow
