Posted on August 18, 2016
THE Shannon CFRAM Report (Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management) was published recently and it has disappointed and frustrated many people, who had hoped it would tackle the age-old problem of flooding in the Shannon system.
There are many dubious things about the Report. For example it finds that the level of flood risk is ‘very low’ in Shannon Harbour. It says the only viable measures to assist in Shannon Harbour are public awareness and flood forecasting. It finds that there are some five residential properties and two business properties at risk in a one-in-100 year flood in Shannon Harbour, which would cause an estimated damage of €171,000.
In Banagher the level of flood risk is deemed ‘not significant’.
In Birr it proposes investing €2.09 million in the development of some 591 metres of defence walls, in four sections. The walls vary in height between 0.6 and 1.2 metres in places and are proposed for the northern bank of the River Camcor, stretching from close to Birr Technology Centre over to land to the south of Castle Street (near the back of the Maltings). Some seven residential properties and two business properties in Birr are at risk in a one-in-ten year event.
For Clonaslee it’s proposed to invest €386,000 in flood defence measures, including removing an existing weir and localised levelling of the river bed on the Clodiagh River upstream of the R422 bridge. It’s proposed to increase capacity by dredging a section of the Clodiagh River.
Any dredging works on the Shannon south of Rooskey have been ruled out for environmental reasons because the river is designated a Special Protected Area and/or candidate Special Area of Conservation.
Cllr John Leahy told the Tribune that he has been calling for the Shannon to be dredged for the last two years and has raised the issue several times in County Council meetings.
‘We will raise it once again in a few weeks time,’ he remarked, ‘when the OPW meets Offaly County Council to discuss a number of issues including CFRAM.
‘I am concerned here that the environment, the SPA/SAC designations, are being used as a scapegoat to do nothing.’
It could be argued that had dredging works been undertaken then the corncrake would still exist in the region.
The councillor said it’s obviously a nonsense that the flooding risk in Banagher or Shannon Harbour is ‘insignificant’ or ‘very low’. Shannon Harbour has suffered a number of major flooding incidents over recent years. ‘Last winter Portavolla housing estate in Banagher was flooded as well,’ said the councillor.
‘There are too many agencies connected with the Shannon. We need one strong leading agency leading them all. I believe that a leading agency hasn’t been appointed because if one was to be appointed then it would require money and the powers that be don’t want to spend money.’
Cllr John Clendennen agreed that the report fell short of what was desired. He said CFRAM was first mooted in 2011 and a lot of hope was invested in it. After waiting several years people have been presented with a disappointing document.
Cllr Clendennen commented that he will be raising the issue of Portavolla in Banagher in the hope of installing flood protection measures.
‘When you look at the report you will see that when the proposals are environmentally viable they are deemed financially unviable, and when they are financially viable they are environmentally unviable.’
He too agreed that the Shannon system needs one leading body to lead everyone on this issue.
The councillor passed on to this newspaper the information which was made available on the 26th of May last during a Consultation Day about the Shannon CFRAM Study.
Those attending the Consultation Day could see that under the heading of ‘Area Further Assessment Banagher’ no works were recommended due to ‘Technicially Unviable Measures’. The technically unviable measures were: Removal of Meelick Weir; removal of Portumna Bridge; removal of bridge at Shannonbridge; storage in Lough Derg; removal of Parteen Weir and Ardnacrusha; storage in bogs; attenuate flows in the River Brosna, Little Brosna River and the River Suck.
The report stated that several ‘Measures’ were ‘technically viable’ but it didn’t recommend any works for these measures because the works were deemed ‘environmentally unviable’. These environmentally unviable works included, Dredging and maintenance of the river channel; removal of Killaloe bridge and constraint at Killaloe bridge; removal of Meelick Weir and the constraint at Meelick.
The report stated that the introduction of the following measures would reduce the level of the river:
Channel dredging would reduce the bed level by 0.5 metres which in turn would reduce the river level by 0.45 to 0.28 metres.
Changing the operation of the Level Control Structures (including Sluice Gates, Athlone Sluice Gates, raising the crest of Athlone Weir, lowering the crest of Meelick Weir, and a new level control structure on the River Suck), would have no effect on the water levels.
Lowering the Operation Level of Lough Ree by 0.3 metres would reduce the water levels by 0.05 to 0.03 metres.
Widening the channel from Banagher to Meelick would lower the levels by 0.05 to 0.51 metres.
Removing Meelick Weir would have no effect on the water levels.
Other measures which if introduced would lower the Shannon by anything from 0.14 to 0.74 metres are: New control structure at Athlone Weir; channel realignment and flow diversion at New Cut; flow diversion between Banagher and Meelick.
Therefore, proposals which sound good, such as dredging the channel or widening the channel between Banagher and Meelick, are technically viable but haven’t been given the go ahead by the report because they are deemed environmentally unviable.
‘Recent Shannon flooding has been the worst in 20 years,’ Deputy Barry Cowen told the Tribune. ‘The devastating flooding this winter saw homeowners, business people and farmers left counting the cost of the destruction.’
Deputy Cowen said he believed that the previous government proved to be one of the least effective overseers of flood prevention and relief measures in recent memory. ‘Both Ministers Alan Kelly and Simon Harris did virtually nothing to progress major flood defence schemes across the country,’ he commented, ‘while leaving river drainage works go by the wayside. Moreover they even failed to advance the repair of flood defences in Cork, Galway, Waterford and the Shannon region damaged in the last major storms in 2014. This is despite underspending on the capital Budget by €14.5 million in 2015 and €20 million in 2014.’
He said that while the CFRAM Study is welcome and needed, unfortunately, over the last several years, ‘the government has used it as a ruse for their inaction on progressing major flood defence schemes across the country, especially in the Shannon Catchment Area. Repeatedly when asked about progress being made in advancing flood defences in the Shannon Region, the previous government continually stressed that the long-term resolution of flooding risk in the Shannon region had to await the conclusion of the CFRAM Programme. However this approach, to delay the progress of major capital flood defences until after the conclusion of CFRAM, is completely at odds with the initial motivation and intention behind setting up CFRAM, which was never intended to be a pretext or substitute for neglecting major flood defence schemes.
‘Similiarly, CFRAM has been used as an excuse to neglect drainage and maintenance on the Shannon and elsewhere in the country over the last five years. This was abetted by short-sighted cuts to the river drainage and maintenance budget which have been made each year since 2011. Neglecting to carry out drainage works to rivers over the last five years, cumulatively made floodings a lot worse, and the horrific flooding of homes and businesses we saw this earlier this year is the manifestation of this.’
The Deputy added that with regards to insurance for flood victims, since the storms in January 2014, his party has been ‘putting pressure on the government to introduce legislation for uninsured people based on measures in the UK and will continue to push for new measures to help homes and businesses get access to flood insurance.’
Source: Midland Tribune
