Flood defences along Shannon holding as water level stablises

Communities battling flood waters along the Shannon received a boost on Friday when it was confirmed that water levels in parts of Athlone have subsided and there will be no increase in the water being released at the Parteen weir.

In Athlone heavy duty pumps have taking the overflow from drains along the The Strand and Friary Lane on the town’s east bank and pumping it into the river.

While water levels in the river are unchanged the pumping operation appears to protecting homes and businesses there.

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Flooding at Carrick on Shannon: Met Éireann has forecast further rain over the weekend in Munster, Connacht and Leinster. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons/The Irish Times

Since midday sewage contaminated flooding on low lying streets in the Strand has dried up.

Chairman of Athlone Subaqua Club Jim Campbell, and a former town engineer, said the success to date was a result of extensive artificial sand bag and plastic sheeting barriers, which appeared to be holding. However, he warned further heavy rainfall could be catastrophic.

Seamus Meade who runs a cafe at the Strand also praised the council-led operation as did Paul Fleming, a resident of the Parks estate on the West Bank.

Tadhg Carey a resident of Deerpark said he and neighbours had been out operating a diesel driven pump overnight in a move which has kept the road open. “I had three hours sleep” he said.

Westmeath County Council warned flooding in Athlone was having “a severe effect on a small portion of the town” but said effects were localised with no impact on the town at large. All transport links, streets, car parks and commercial areas in the town continue to operate as normal.

Further down the Shannon the ESB confirmed it will not increase the flow of water from the Parteen Weir on Friday following a review of water levels on the Shannon, bringing a sense of relief to home owners and businesses.

This flow is currently ten times the normal release rate for this time of year, and may yet be increased over the coming days in order to relieve the pressure of upstream flooding.

Residents in areas at most risk in Co Limerick have spend the past week preparing for the worst, while some home owners in the worst hit areas of east Co Clare have left their houses.

The ESB will review the discharge rate from Parteen Weir again on Saturday morning.

John Barry, chairman of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, told RTÉ Morning Ireland he was concerned about the protection of buildings in Athlone and further downstream the Shannon, particularly homes which flooded in 2009.

"Certainly water levels are continuing to rise in the Shannon," said Mr Barry. "I understand with the help of the Defence Forces, local authorities and other services locally have managed to keep them dry so far.

“They are a bit concerned by the outlook for the weekend and what further water might bring and whether they can continue to keep those properties protected.”

Status orange alert

Met Éireann has issued a status orange weather warning for Friday night and Saturday with heavy rain and further flooding in Munster, Connacht and Leinster on Saturday. Sleet and wet snow is also likely in some parts of the midlands on Saturday.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has called on the Government to access the EU solidarity fund, saying the fund could provide aid “in the event of an extraordinary regional disaster that affects the majority of the population of a region with serious and lasting repercussions on its economic stability and living conditions”.

Mr Barry said the army was assisting communities affected by the floods at six locations across the State.

Asked whether the group was involved in ensuring compensation for businesses affected by the rainfall, Mr Barry said compensation would be dealt with by the Department of Defence and administered through the Irish Red Cross.

“We’re focusing on the emergency response phase, assisting and alleviating affected people and affected businesses, while we’re interested and keen to know that that will be going ahead and assisting and providing assistance to people. It’s not something that we’re involved in managing personally.”

He added that Irish Water has issued a water contamination notice for Ballinasloe, Co Galway.

Excess water

Also speaking on Morning Ireland, Tom Browne from the ESB explained how in flood situations, excess water in the Shannon must be diverted through Parteen Weir and the old river Shannon.

“Basically what happens at Parteen weir is that the normal flow of the river effectively is split in two,” he said. “One part of it goes down to the Ardnacrusha power station again into Limerick city and the other part of it allows water down through the old river Shannon.

“It’s really only in flood situations such as this when the actual flow in the river exceeds that amount, where the excess water has to be diverted down Parteen weir through the old river Shannon.”

Given the length of the Shannon and the land mass it covers, it could take up to five days for all the flood water to make it down the river.

“It very much depends on when the rain falls, how heavily it falls, as to when exactly we’re going to have to increase the flow rates at Parteen weir but it’s something that’s under continuous review,” said Mr Browne.

He said ESB would remain in constant communication with local authorities both in the Shannon area and in Cork areas as the rainfall continues.

ESB said on Friday morning that the flow of water down the Shannon through Parteen Weir would remain at 375 cubic metres per second through the day.

Road safety

The Road Safety Authority is calling on drivers to take extra care on the roads over the weekend with prolonged rainfall expected overnight on Friday.

Drivers should slow down and allow for extra distance between you and vehicle in front of you, take special care when driving behind trucks or buses and watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are advised to wear bright clothing with reflective armbands or a reflective belt.

Met Éireann deputy head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack told Thursday’s meeting there could be further accumulations of 50-80mm of rainfall on Saturday. A typical weather front brings approximately 10mm.

Ms Cusack said the national forecaster would “at the very least” be issuing a status yellow rainfall warning for the west coast but there was a real possibility of a status orange alert being issued.