One overall agency should be in charge of waterways, says Cork County Council boss

She was speaking as the clean-up continued in parts of Cork badly damaged by last week's Storm Babet, in particular in Midleton, when an unprecedented 100mm of rain fell in 36 hours.

At present, local authorities have control in certain areas where rivers have an impact on the infrastructure, while Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), Uisce Éireann and the OPW also have inputs. Landowners also have responsibility to keep rivers free flowing through their land, but there is no agency charged with overall monitoring of that, Ms O'Sullivan said

She was responding to concerns raised by councillors about rivers not being regularly cleared of debris, with resultant implications for increased risks of flooding. Fine Gael councillor, John Paul O’Shea, said the River Awbeg, which flows through North Cork, has become clogged with green matter and man-made debris.

As a consequence, the river is now at serious risk of overflowing, Mr O'Shea said, which happened in recent days. This has impacted places like Churchtown, Ballyhea and Buttevant and also poses a risk further downstream into Castletownroche where it flows into the River Blackwater.

As a result of the Awbeg flooding an 85-year-old householder has yet again been cut off for days, said Mr O'Shea. He claimed councillors have repeatedly "hit a brick wall" in relation to requests to IFI to dredge the river.

Ms O’Sullivan acknowleged that the Awbeg presents potential flooding problems. Fianna Fáil councillor, Ian Doyle, highlighted similar issues with watercourses in the Charleville area.

“There are rivers blocked in my area (Macroom/Millstreet Municipal District) especially with debris in the eyes of the bridges. The rivers and streams need to be cleaned more often,” Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Looney said.

Independent councillor, Alan Coleman, said three houses and a pub were flooded in Riverstick, near Kinsale, and he believed a refusal to dredge the riverbed was to blame. He said the cost to humans in order to protect wildlife amounted to us “losing a sense of proportionality.” 

Ms O’Sullivan pointed out that ensuring rivers and streams are kept clear of debris is problematic. Under the law it is up to landowners when rivers run through their properties to ensure they are clear of obstructions.

However, she re-iterated an overall agency needs to be created to carry out nationwide inspections on all waterways to ensure they're properly maintained.

Fine Gael councillor, Kay Dawson, noted how the flooding of many properties in her hometown of Mitchelstown ironically saw many of them left without water for a number of days. She criticised the lack of information from Uisce Éireann on the issue saying it was a cause of frustration for those impacted.

Labour councillor, James Kennedy, said more resources need to be allocated to clearing all watercourses to prevent flooding. “This (flooding) is going to be the new normal. Events which once happened every 50 years are now likely to happen every five years,” he said.