Warning issued to landowners who impede road drainage

LANDOWNERS who impede the drainage of water through their land from a public road will be served with notices under the 1993 Roads Act, Clare County Council has warned.

This warning was issued by a senior engineer at a recent meeting after a local councillor took what could be described as a pre-emptive strike concerning road drainage.

Councillor Michael Begley called on Clare County Council to make provision for more concentrated road drainage activity from October to February, as he said water causes a lot of preventable damage to local roads.

Councillor Begley explained if the council could commit some resources to drainage works before the winter, it would save money by preventing damage from flooding after periods of heavy rainfall.

He also noted when the council carried out road drainage works it made a huge difference.

Councillor Cathal Crowe claimed some local roads are “like canals” when covered by floodwaters and agreed more resources should be committed to road drainage works.

Given the reduced resources that has been made available to the council to maintain roads, senior executive engineer Hugh McGrath stressed at a recent Killaloe Electoral Area meeting that the authority has to be vigilant in protecting all roads from avoidable damage. This can result from heavy agricultural or forestry related loading, severe weather and/or inadequate drainage maintenance.

Mr McGrath acknowledged that preventative maintenance is one of the most effective and prudent ways to protect the existing road network.

In conjunction with the works carried out by the council within its limited resources, he told councillors the authority would again be reminding owners and occupiers of land adjacent to a public road of their obligations.

These include ensuring that water is not prevented, obstructed or impeded from draining into, under or through their land from a public road.

Landowners are also obliged to prevent water, soil or material from flowing or falling onto a public road from their land.

He pointed out the council doesn’t have the staff or the resources to carry out road drainage works as often as they would like and would have to rely on the co-operation of landowners.

“The council have been and will continue to address this issue directly with landowners and occupiers and road users where appropriate.

“Where we have evidence that these obligations are not being met, the council will serve a notice on landowners who are not compliant with one or both of the foregoing requiring specified works be carried out or specified measures taken.

“This is of particular importance where owners or occupiers are the main users and sometimes the only users of roads, which their lands are adjacent,” he stated

He said care needs to be taken in the way that motorists, but in particular tractors, bulk tankers and forest harvesters travelled the roads.

He added the continued co-operation of elected members highlighting this obligation was greatly appreciated.