One night of rain should not result in floods

Editorial Department • Published 15 Apr 2010 10:08 0 Comments

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Dear Sir, - On Easter Tuesday morning, April 6, 2010, I woke up with my family having planned a day away to find another flood on the Rossmacaffrey Road, but this should not be happening on the Erne system as it should be at summer levels and one night of rain does not result in floods. My wife stated I read articles written within your paper quoting a number of statements and facts on the Erne system from a variety of governing bodies covering their balancing act on management, and what did I mean by summer level? I said to her these are the facts incompetent managers failed to report in any paper or the public sector. So I informed her to the real facts:

Lough Erne is governed by the ESB at Ballyshannon dam but before the dam was built, a drainage improvement scheme was carried out in the late forties and ESB were allowed to build their hydro dam. However a number of rules were drawn up at that, the power sharing agreement to lay down legal limits, a summer and winter level detailing agreed feet above sea level to which the Lough's flow goes out to sea.

However, these governing bodies on the Northern side of the border don't seem to know what the levels are, they're paid by our rates and tax systems to which I can only describe has incompetent managers who don't have common sense, let alone which way to hold the spirit level. My wife said what do I mean by that?

Well, last December, Fermanagh MLAs set up meetings for a flood task force to find the facts of the November/December flooding in Enniskillen and Lisnaskea. Unfortunately Waterways Ireland didn't turn up at the Lisnaskea meeting and the head of the River Agency didn't know what the water level was on the day or the previous day. Is this not their bread and butter responsibility? Also, this flood task force were to have their report finalised by the end of February - we are still waiting for this report.

Answers asked for at that meeting and points raised were:

1. Lough levels between 01/10/09 and 01/12/09 showing the facts of before the flood and after have been requested.

2. For these facts to be published within the local papers and for regular updates - just like the green and blue bin reminder notices.

3. Account for the money being spent improving the problem areas.

4. Red tape surrounding the dredging areas - problem areas relating to the Environment bodies which curbs necessary maintenance work. Also lack of co-ordination between Government bodies.

5. What funding does the ESB supply to the table and what improvements have been made to the sixty year old hydro dam for spillage? Why is there no forward planning with modern weather predictors to avert serious flooding?

6. What about families' loss of earnings and damage to their vehicles, fields and businesses during periods of flooding? Who's going to pay compensation? This is not a natural disaster, it's man-made - the water cannot get away.

7. Households in these catchment areas pay extremely high rates, yet the only seen benefit to households is bin collection. Maybe one month without rates?

8. How can emergency services respond to any situation with these flood waters considering the golden hour response time, one hour expected of medical cover. It requires planning and organisation to negotiate these floods, not only are they dangerous but extremely stressful.

9. When and what improvements are to be made to these roads within the catchment areas. When does Health and Safety duty of care come into force for road users?

10. The Upper Lake has become a shallow basin, it's filled with silt, trees and rubbish, with now over sixty years of silt built up within the Lough Erne system and more after each flood, the volume water ratio to silt ratio would normally flow out to sea but cannot due to being blocked by the dam. Inform us what actions are being taken?

11. Fermanagh District Council were asked to look into the legal side of not maintaining the agreed 1950s levels. What action would be taken against the ESB for non-compliance?

12. Why is there a back flow of water in my area? Where is it coming from?

13. Last point raised was for another meeting with all the bodies involved with this task force to supply all their facts and requests for information at a local evening meeting.

Well, the panel tries to answer the community questions at this time but the answer came each time there was no money within the budget to cover the works required. The local community gave one answer back, lower the agreed levels of the Lough by a foot or so, maintaining these new levels would have limited costs.

The difference between summer and winter level is two feet or 600mm and ESB with our bodies are duty bound to hold the water at these levels making all reasonable efforts to prevent going above these levels. These managers of the Lough Erne are expected to allow a gap between these levels for adverse weather! If so, why are there floods happening in summer levels? After all there should be three feet difference here? It's fact that water will find its own level when its outlet is not blocked.

Who are these bodies working for, it's not for the Fermanagh people working within tourism, leisure, agriculture, environment, and even the rescue services are complaining about the lack of ability to maintain the correct or normal levels that is if they know what they are? No point in quoting figures we want results, the facts speak for themselves, and we're still flooded. What value for money is the tax and rate payer getting on return for keeping these governing bodies - that's definably questionable.

On Sunday, April 11, we went for a drive to Derryadd Quay - there were angry people from near and far complaining about the flooding, fishing and boat jetties were all under water as was the surrounding land. What summer levels? Where are they?

Yours faithfully,

A suffering Rossmacaffrey Road resident

This letter appeared in Impartial Reporter 15 Apr 10

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