Minister Moran and Roscommon County Council turn on pumps to manage water levels at Lough Funshinagh

Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, and the Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Paschal Fitzmaurice today turned on the interim pumping solution, to help manage the flood risk at Lough Funshinagh, pending the completion of a permanent scheme.

Minister Moran praised the work by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and former Ministers for the OPW, Kieran O’Donnell and Patrick O’Donovan for their work and support to identify this interim solution for Lough Funshinagh.

The significance of this event for the local community cannot be understated, as they have had to endure unprecedented water levels at Lough Funshinagh for some years, causing substantial damage and risks to their homes and businesses. The Minister thanked the Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council for the Council’s work and resilience with finding a workable interim solution for Lough Funshinagh and for the Council’s ongoing emergency response to managing the flood risk to the affected lakeshore communities.

The Minister said:

The Minister also paid tribute to the landowners who are providing access on their lands for these interim works and this was a further indication of how this scheme was only made possible by the strong community that supported Roscommon County Council, and the OPW during the planning process and now for the execution of the interim works.

The Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Paschal Fitzmaurice said:

Civil and mechanical works were executed efficiently by Donegal company, Source Civil Limited and Dutch company Holland Special Pumps. The exceptional scope and innovative nature of the interim works was jointly highlighted by the Minister and the Cathaoirleach and would not have been possible without the flood risk management expertise and specialists pumping solutions in the Netherlands. They both acknowledged the world class approach by the Netherlands to managing its flood risk and Ireland’s strong relations with the Netherlands continues to inform our policies, plans and solutions for managing Ireland’s flood risk.

The interim scheme involves water from Lough Funshinagh being pumped over ground for more than two kilometers to the Cross River near Curraghboy in the townland of Carrick, County Roscommon. The project team of consultants (ARUP and Malachy Walsh & Partners) have designed the scheme to minimise and mitigate against environmental impacts at Lough Funshinagh, along the pump route, at the point of discharge and within the Cross River catchment.

In accordance with planning approval granted by An Bord Pleanála, the pumps will operate on a temporary basis in order to minimise damage to property and infrastructure while a second planning application for a permanent flood management solution is being prepared. The temporary scheme also includes ongoing monitoring of water levels in Lough Funshinagh and in the Cross River.

Roscommon County Council would also like to acknowledge the support of Ryan-Hanley and Callington Limited for the important role they played in the delivery of the interim scheme. The Council would also like to acknowledge and thank the dedicated staff of the Athlone Municipal District for supporting local communities through a series of unprecedented flooding events, providing property protection measures, and facilitating this temporary pumping scheme.

Please contact pressoffice@opw.ie for more information and to arrange an interview.

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Background to flooding at Lough Funshinagh

The eight townlands that straddle Lough Funshinagh have lived in harmony with Lough Funshinagh for decades. There is a long history of community activity in and around the lake that includes the playing of sports on the bed of the lake when dry, and also fishing, hunting and its designation as a wildlife sanctuary.

Lough Funshinagh is designated as a Special Area of Conservation. There are two designated habitats, Turloughs and Rivers with muddy banks with Chenopodion rubri p.p. and Bidention p.p. vegetation, and 13 bird species mentioned in the Eunis data sheet. For decades the community and the turlough have lived in harmony and the community have worked to sustain the broad and important environmental and biodiversity aspects of this area.

This turlough has not emptied since 2004. Since 2015/2016, the levels in Lough Funshinagh have peaked at new recorded levels. Since 2016, this turlough – or a dry and disappearing lake - is not draining as it did previously and the rainfall in 2023 was 130% of the average levels since 1959. Historically the highest levels in the lake were typically about 66 metres Ordnance Datum (mOD). The land, when dry, is used as commonage and the community work to preserve the rich biodiversity associated with this area. The water levels at Lough Funshinagh reached a new record level in April 2024, some 3.3m higher than the average levels and this excess is spread across some 175 hectares of lands.

During the Winter periods sandbags and pumping kept the water back from people’s properties, where the actual levels of water are above the road levels and floor levels of their homes. Some 9 properties around the perimeter of Lough Funshinagh are at risk and 2 households had to evacuate their homes. This has occurred up to three times for some of these homeowners since 2015/2016.

The impact is greatest at three of the seven townlands/locations straddling Lough Funshinagh, Lisphelim, Ballagh and Currraghboy. Farm sheds were submerged and roads have been closed to the public and remained closed for months. These roads remained open for local use but there have been health and safety concerns with their use.