Residents told Lough Funshinagh flood relief pipe could be in place by late March

A two-year temporary solution to the flooding crisis at Lough Funshinagh in South Roscommon could be up and running by late March, local residents were told earlier today (Wednesday).

The Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Kieran O'Donnell, was at the council offices in Roscommon this morning to meet with Lough Funshinagh residents, public representatives, council staff and OPW staff.

The meeting was arranged to give an update on the timeline for a temporary flood relief scheme at Lough Funshinagh which was granted planning approval by An Bord Pleanála on Friday last.

The scheme will involve the use of overland pipes which will facilitate the pumping of excess water from the overflowing lake to the Cross River, in the townland of Carrick in South Roscommon.

Flooding at Lough Funshinagh has been a worsening problem for the last decade with the water reaching a new record high in 2024. Two homes have been lost due to the crisis, which has impacted in particular areas such as Ballagh, Rahara, and Lysterfield, Curraghboy.

Local Independent councillor Laurence Fallon outlined the timeframe for the flood relief work which was given at today's meeting.

"There will be technical work to be done for the next while, and there are teams in place to put in the pipes with a view to having a tentative commencement date (for water pumping) of late March.

"It will be monitored by consultants, so there will be good regulation on it," said Cllr Fallon.

He added that preparatory work was in place on a permanent solution, which is expected to involve the pumping of excess water from Lough Funshinagh to Lough Ree.

"There is a need to have much more detailed surveys, including a full environmental assessment, on the permanent solution than there was on the temporary solution.

"There are a number of studies that are cyclical, and will take at least a year to do, and they're ongoing.

"The bottom line is there's a hope that, by the end of this year, a planning application will be made to An Bord Pleanála for the permanent solution.

"Given the size of the project, and the nature of it, it will probably take six months for An Bord Pleanála to come up with a conclusion. There's a hope that by July of next year, all going well, (planning approval might be granted)."

Work on a 3km pipeline from Lough Funshinagh to Lough Ree began in 2021, and the pipeline was partially completed when work on it was stopped due to a High Court challenge brought by the Friends of the Irish Environment group.

Cllr Fallon said that if planning approval was granted for a permanent flooding solution at Lough Funshinagh, the council "would then have to go back to the court with the An Bord Pleanála recommendation to lift the restriction that's on it and proceed under strict monitoring, with a view to having the (permanent) pipe completed by the expiring of the temporary pumping licence in March 2027.

"That's the timeline being talked about now," he said.

"There is great excitement that water is being taken out under the temporary solution. That will buy time for the residents and will allow them to live in relative comfort.

"If we get pumping now at the end of March, and pump through the summer, we could be fairly certain that we wouldn't have a crisis the following winter."

He said the expectation was that the permanent solution ultimately would take a similar form to the 2021 project that was halted.

"The options will be looked at but I think the general opinion - and certainly my opinion - is that the best option will be to link into the pipe that's there already. It would be very surprising if it took another route."

At the height of last year's flooding, industrial pipes were being used at several houses in an effort to keep them from being inundated with water.

At present the level of the lake is much lower than it was at this stage in 2024, and Cllr Fallon said there is currently a need for just one domestic pump to be put into use on an "intermittent" basis.

He spoke about the huge sense of relief among locals given that a temporary solution is coming soon.

"Over the last week you can see the spirits rising and people beginning to live with great confidence again. There have been a few false dawns in the past, and we were shot back a few times, but there's now a great sense of relief.

"It looks like everybody involved, and anybody who might have been opposed to the temporary pipe, appears relatively happy with what's going on," said Cllr Fallon.