Latest flooding shows Shannon ‘out of control’

A claim has been made this week that the river Shannon is “out of control” after what was described as "minimal rainfall" caused widespread flooding and forced farmers living along the Callows to move their livestock indoors.

“If the situation can get this bad with less than three inches of rainfall, there is no hope for the future, the Shannon is just out of control” said Michael Silke, whose family farm at Meelick, is located just a mile from the bridge in Banagher.

The level of anger among the more than 300 farmers who live along the Shannon Callows area between Athlone and Meelick has reached “fever pitch” according to Mr Silke, who heads up the Save Our Shannon Organisation (SOSO) which has been consistently calling for the establishment of a single authority to govern the Shannon.

“We have had the driest year in living memory and yet we have had cattle stranded by rising water levels and farmers along the Callows have been forced to bring their livestock indoors which is going to create a fodder shortage next Spring,” pointed out Michael Silke. “The whole thing is a disaster and absolutely nothing is being done to address our problems.”

Farmers living along the Shannon Callows vented their anger to Midlands North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly, when he visited the area on Sunday last to meet with affected farmers and SOSO is now seeking a face-to-face meeting with Taoiseach, Michéal Martin, to outline their urgent concerns.

“We have been fighting a losing battle with rising water levels and nobody has listened to us, so now we are planning to take our concerns right to the Taoiseach's door and maybe then we will see some action” says Mr. Silke.

While the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Co-ordination Working Group – whose website www.rivershannongroup.ie went live this week – is the overall government agency tasked with overseeing all aspects of the river Shannon, Michael Silke says it has had “no impact whatsoever” on the lives of farmers trying to eke out a livelihood alongside the river as there are “no farmer voices” on the body,

“The reality is that, despite al the promises, nothing has been done with the Shannon since the foundation of the State except to put dams in place for navigation purposes,” claims Mr. Silke.

This is a claim is hotly contested by bodies such as the ESB who told the Offaly Independent that it “works proactively” with all the agencies on the Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Co-ordination Working Group.

In a statement, the ESB they confirmed that it has 15 sluice gates at the outlet of Lough Ree at Athlone to manage the flow of water during dry periods. “As the water level in the Callows downstream of Athlone rises, the sluice gates are closed and no further control can be exercised on the water levels in Lough Ree and the flow into the Callows. The vast majority of the water flowing from Lough Ree flows uncontrolled over the 170m weir alongside the sluice gates. All the sluices at Athlone were closed by ESB by 17th September” they said.

The company also said that Lough Derg is the only lake where water levels “are directly influenced by the generating station in Ardnacrusha” and added that the water level in Lough Derg “does not influence water levels in the Callows above Meelick Weir” which is beside Banagher. “ESB Ardnacrusha and Gate Movements at Parteen Weir also have no effect on water levels above Meelick Weir,” it said, pointing out that this has been confirmed “following independent studies in consultation with various stakeholders throughout the Callows.”

The company reitered that it has, and will continue to meet with local groups and representatives from the Callows to explain its operations “clearly and transparently”.

Michael Silke and other farmers living along the Shannon Callows say it would have taken “three weeks of incessant rainfall in the past” to create the widespread flooding that they have experienced after the most recent spell of rain, which they regard as being minimal.

“It is frightening, to be quite honest, and we are wondering how long more farmers are going to be able to survive along the Callows, there is a great deal of anger and frustration out there,” says Mr. Silke, “and yet again we feel we have been completely abandoned ”

In the wake of his visit to Shannonbridge, MEP Mullooly has called for "a comprehensive review" of the legislation governing the management of the River Shannon, following significant and repeated flooding.

With the Save Our Shannon Organisation repeatedly highlighting that long-standing “pinch points” along the river are preventing water from flowing freely, causing unnecessary and worsening flooding impacts. the Midlands North-West MEP has supported their call for a full legislative review, with the aim of enabling targeted works at these critical bottlenecks.

“This is becoming a regular feature and increasingly severe problem,” said Ciaran Mullooly, who added that a boat must be made available "at short notice" to help farmers transport livestock from low-lying areas during emergencies. "More fundamentally, the way the river is managed must be modernised. We need a clear, coordinated plan involving both the ESB and Waterways Ireland to ensure water flow management does not undermine the viability of farms along the Shannon’s banks” he said.

The MEP also stressed that with climate change likely to increase the frequency of heavy rainfall events, the current management system and the legislation is "no longer fit for purpose" and legislative change is urgently required to protect farmland adjacent to the shoreline and rural communities.