€63,000 for flood relief works

RESIDENTS in Montpelier and O’Briensbridge will be hoping that the allocation of €63,000 for flood relief works in Castleconnell will reduce the risk of a repeat of last year’s flooding when the River Shannon burst its banks.
A number of homes in the Montpelier and Castleconnell area had to be evacuated, while very high levels of water were recorded in O’Briensbridge.
The combination of flooding and the absence of a public sewerage treatment plant resulted in the introduction of a precautionary boil notice for residents last December.
The notice, which affected approximately 500 individuals, was issued after Limerick County Council’s Water Services section detected a deterioration in water quality in the Montpelier Water Supply Scheme, which serves all three villages.
O’Briensbridge community group chairman, Mick Murtagh recalled sewage had come up through the pipes of a number of houses in neighbouring Montpelier, which had presented additional difficulties for residents battling to keep floodwaters at bay.
He said the River Shannon came within inches of flooding O’Briensbridge last November and admitted a number of houses had a lucky escape, due to the hard work of the army and Clare County Council.
He recalled four or five people in Montpelier had to be evacuated and more houses were under threat from floodwaters.
Despite welcoming the allocation of funds, Limerick East Fine Gael Deputy, Kieran O’Donnell called for urgent action to ensure that last year’s flooding does not recur.
“This funding is most welcome, although it reflects very badly on the Government that it comes a full 12 months after last year’s major floods. What is of paramount importance is that the people of Castleconnell are safe from having to face another experience like last year when families were evacuated and much of the town was left underwater,” he said.
Some of this funding will allow for the purchase of temporary booms and pumps and for the placement of a sluice onto the bridge culvert at the Island House.
Work on the sluice is currently underway and Limerick County Council is purchasing the booms and pumps.
Deputy O’Donnell noted the funding would allow for a flood study to be carried out in the area and for an embankment to be put in place to the rear of Meadow Brook.