Fianna Fáil has proposed new legislation that the party says will remove outdated water level restrictions on ESB-regulated lakes along the Shannon.

“Fianna Fáil now has a plan of action, which commenced today that has a suite of ideas to be brought forward which we feel will alleviate many of the difficulties we have,” the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on OPW and Flood Relief Eugene Murphy said outside Leinster House today. “This bill is not a silver bullet. But the suffering and trauma people have had to deal with, particularly along the River Shannon over the last number of years, has been unacceptable. We have situations where farmers have had to sell off their stock.”

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The bill that Fianna Fáil is proposing to adopt into legislation aims to update old legislation in order to ensure that the ESB has full flexibility in setting water levels on the Shannon’s three major lakes.

“It will remove the power under the 1934 Act where the ESB controls the river Shannon. We believe that by removing that, a new policy will develop that the levels of water in Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg will be lowered to ensure that the devastation caused by flooding will disappear to some extent,” said Murphy, who also announced his intention to lead a delegation to Cumbria in England in the coming months to investigate the actions taken there to alleviate flooding. “Essentially, the bill removes specific water levels from legislation and allows the ESB to continue its own expertise to set these levels in conjunction with other relevant bodies such as waterways Ireland, Inland Fisheries and the local authorities.”

Future proposals

Murphy added that in the next few months, Fianna Fáil will have another bill proposing a plan of action for turloughs and dredging.

“Also coming forward will be a definitive plan on dredging and draining the river Shannon,” he said. “This has been neglected for many many years, we acknowledge and admit that. But the amount of silt and amount of peat that has flown into the Shannon, particularly because of Bord na Móna works, is a difficulty and is significant. We have seen less and less maintenance of the rivers and drains in our locality in recent years. As far as Fianna Fáil is concerned, we must return to proper maintenance of these areas.”

Reaction

IFA Flood project chairman Padraig Joyce welcomes the Fianna Fail commitments on having a single authority.

"Lowering levels has long been sought by IFA," Joyce said. "The proposed bill must now be brought to the Dail to get it implemented."