The Shannon Flood Risk State Agency Co-ordination Working Group at its recent meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon took a major decision to develop a plan for a strategic maintenance program on the River Shannon.
Programmed maintenance works have not been carried out on the Shannon for a significant period of time and silt and vegetation has built up which impacts on the river’s conveyance capacity.
The Shannon Flood Risk Group, which is led by the Office for Public Work (OPW), considers that maintenance works on the Shannon are essential to halt the deterioration of the river channel.
It recognizes that the carrying out of strategic maintenance works on the Shannon will be problematic and in bringing forward its plans, the Group will be addressing all of the necessary legal, environmental, technical and other considerations that arise.
Séan Canney, T.D., Minister for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief, attended the meeting and said: “The OPW already maintains over 11,500 km of river channel and over 700km of embankments protecting some 650,000 acres of agricultural land.”
“There have been many calls for a maintenance program to be put in place for the Shannon. A planned maintenance program for the Shannon would complement the Group’s Work Program and the specific measures that are identified for the areas at risk in the Draft Shannon Flood Risk Management Plan.
“The Flood Risk Management Plans are a major step forward to help Government make informed investment decisions on flood risk management and for which the Government has provided €430 million in the Capital Investment Plan 2016 to 2021.”
The Group intends to bring together all of the relevant stakeholders to discuss, initiate and manage the development of this program.
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