Race against time for Lough Funshinagh flooding fix

The authorities are in a race against the calendar to have a planned temporary solution to the flooding crisis at Lough Funshinagh in place before winter arrives.

The lake in South Roscommon expanded to an unprecedented level this year, resulting in some homes being evacuated and many others requiring the continuous use of industrial pumps in order to stay dry.

Roscommon County Council is now preparing a plan for a temporary flooding solution that is understood to involve water being pumped from Lough Funshinagh into the Cross River, near Curraghboy village.

However the planning application for this temporary fix is not expected to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála until the latter half of August, meaning a decision on it could take several months from that point.

Local councillor Laurence Fallon said he was hopeful that, once the planning application was submitted, it would "receive a quick response, with the work then beginning quickly".

However, he acknowledged that time was running short in order to have the pumping system up and running before the winter.

"That's the big issue. Timing is critical in this," he told the Westmeath Independent on Monday.

"It would be much more preferable if the water was being removed immediately, when the ground is better for laying the pipe and everything. But we have to work to the timeframe we've been given.

"I would hope that because it's a temporary pipe, which will only be there until a permanent solution is found, An Bord Pleanála will be able to react quickly.

"This is an emergency situation, as we all know, so hopefully they can act quickly because if not we'll be going into the winter in a very serious situation."

On June 13, Taoiseach Simon Harris chaired a meeting on the Lough Funshinagh crisis which involved Roscommon County Council, the Office of Public Works (OPW), and other agencies.

On Thursday, July 11, meanwhile, OPW Minister Kieran O'Donnell was at the council offices in Roscommon for a follow-up meeting attended by some of the affected residents in communities close to the lake.

Cllr Fallon said that the current water level at Lough Funshinagh was 1.65m higher than it was this time last year, which was adding to concern about what the coming winter might bring.

"Because of the high level of the water this year, compared to last year, and with the way the lake responded last year when it flowed in the direction of Curraghboy, it's highly likely that Curraghboy will be under severe pressure next winter unless we succeed in getting water out with a temporary measure, using a pump," he said.

The Independent councillor also said that, at last Thursday's meeting attended by the OPW Minister, the National Parks and Wildlife Service made it clear that the flooding at Lough Funshinagh had caused "substantial" environmental damage to the lake.

"National Parks and Wildlife are now clear that the lake is damaged, and the only solution to restore the lake is to reduce the level of water in it. That's significant, I think, because they are the governing body dealing with the environment," said Cllr Fallon.

When contacted this week, a spokesperson for Roscommon County Council issued a brief statement which read: "The council is working very actively and steadfastly with the OPW and other State agencies to progress both temporary and long term solutions to the flooding at Lough Funshinagh, and is supporting the community in every way it can during this time."

At the beginning of March this year, flooding in the vicinity of Lough Funshinagh reached a new record level, surpassing the previous high water mark that was set three years earlier.

Communities in and around Ballagh, Rahara, have been under pressure from the flooding for a number of years, and two homes in Lysterfield, Curraghboy, had to be evacuated in April when the floodwater started to seep closer to Curraghboy village.

Road closures also had to be introduced earlier this year, on the L2005 local road at Ballagh and on the R362 regional road between Curraghboy to Athleague, due to the flooding.