The Save Our Shannon Organisation bring the following statement for your urgent
attention.
Once again severe flooding has come to the Shannon Callows. Farming activities
have been curtailed, water is covering farmland, appearing in farmyards and
coming closer to homes. The heavy rainfall continues to fall and locals in the
Shannon Callows are likening this continuous rain to the flooding event of 2009,
when rain began to fall heavily in October and continued for many weeks into
November. At that time the various agencies in control of the flow of water in
Shannon were totally unprepared.
We now ask you the question: how prepared are these agencies today?
The agencies we are referring to are the ESB, Waterways Ireland, various County
Councils and of course the OPW.
Sluices and gates were not opened in time or in sequence in 2009.
Have they been opened yet in 2022?
Water was not released through Parteen Villa or Ardnacrusha early enough in 2009
to ease flooding in areas such as Banagher, Shannonbridge and Athlone. When
flood water was eventually released severe flooding occurred in areas such as
Cloonlara, O’Briens Bridge, Castleconnell and Limerick.
As of now has the maximum amount of water (without causing flooding) been
released through Ardnacrusha and Parteen Villa yet?
Since 2009 the members of the Save Our Shannon Organisation have been
recommending three main courses of action;
1. Create a single authority to control the flow of water in the Shannon.
2. Reduce the level of water in the three main lakes on the Shannon in order to
provide storage for flood waters.
3. Remove the “pinchpoints” in the Shannon Callows area that are restricting
the natural flow of water in times of flooding.
Not one of these recommendations has been implemented in these 13 years.
Severe flooding occurred in November 2009, December 2015, January 2016 and
again in February 2020. Once again in 2022 the same pattern of events is
occurring. We are facing severe flooding, with residents/farmers extremely
worried about their livelihoods, their homes, land and stock, their outbuildings and
their ability to travel to work and school.
In January 2020 we were promised that €7 million would be spent in removing
“pinchpoints” between Athlone and Meelick. Not one ounce of silt has been
removed in the intervening years to mitigate flooding.
In recent years work has been done in urban areas to prevent houses being flooded
(Athlone and Banagher). While we welcome this development in urban areas
absolutely nothing has been done for the residents and farmers in the rural areas
from Athlone to Meelick who continuously face the horrors of flooding.
In view of the impending flooding situation these main questions are now critical.
What has the OPW, the ESB, Waterways Ireland, OPW and the various County
Councils along the river done to prepare for and alleviate these floods? We would
appreciate an immediate response from you.
Many thanks.
Emily Young
(On behalf of the Save Our Shannon Organisation)