Environment

Cattle marooned as Galway river bursts its banks

Call for urgent drainage works after 20 acres of land flooded and crops destroyed,

Farmers Jarlath Farrell, Dom Dunleavy, Sonny Jennings and John Keane wade through floodwater at Barbersfort, Cahergal, where recent heavy rain has seen the river Grange burst its banks. Photograph: Ray Ryan.
Farmers Jarlath Farrell, Dom Dunleavy, Sonny Jennings and John Keane wade through floodwater at Barbersfort, Cahergal, where recent heavy rain has seen the river Grange burst its banks. Photograph: Ray Ryan.
Fri Aug 28 2015 - 01:00

Heavy rain in recent days has resulted in serious flooding of farmland in north Galway, leading to calls for immediate drainage work on the Grange river, near Tuam.

More than 20 acres of land were left under water at Barbersfort after the river burst its banks. Livestock was marooned and crops destroyed.

Local Fine Gael councillor Pete Roche said the community was very frustrated by floodwater at this time of year.

“This river has been neglected in terms of maintenance in recent years and while tertiary drainage works have been carried out in the area, that isn’t enough to solve this problem. “It isn’t good enough to have cattle kept in sheds in August and the other livestock marooned on islands that previously were good fertile land.

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“The OPW pledged to do this work two years ago and now we’re being told that a long reach machine isn’t available, which seems like a shoddy excuse to push this scheme back yet again,” Mr Roche said.

Local farmers said drainage works farther up the river that finished at Grange Bridge on the main Tuam to Barnaderg road were completed last year but the scheme was not continued as far as Barbersfort.

John Keane, who has been forced to move his cattle indoors, said he was lucky to get his livestock inside before they became marooned.

“I’ve about seven acres either side of the river that is underwater, and the other problem I’m faced with is having to use the fodder I would normally be keeping for the winter.”

Devastation

Jarlath Farrell said he had made three calls to the local OPW office in the past week. “I’m trying for the past six years to get this river cleaned and all they keep doing is knocking us further down the list.”

Mr Roche said it was time the OPW addressed the situation in order to prevent a repeat of the 2009 devastation.

A spokeswoman for the OPW said the heavy and prolonged rainfall had resulted in flood levels on the river Clare rising by 1.2 million.

“The OPW will be completing the maintenance on section 4 and section 5 of the Grange river from Cahergal Bridge to the Grange Bridge when the flood levels have receded,” she said.

“The OPW regional engineer has carried out a site visit and will walk section 3 of the Grange river when the floods have receded.”