Midleton flood victims accuse authorities of 'prioritising fish over people'

The Midleton residents want gravel deposits removed from the river and floodplain at Moore’s Lane ahead of storm season

Midleton residents Alan and Orla Mahy and Brenda Mooney at the Owennacurra river near Moore's Bridge where local residents are living in fear of another flood. Picture: Dan Linehan

Residents whose homes were destroyed in a devastating flood last October have appealed to the authorities to prioritise their safety over fish by approving riverbed dredging ahead of storm season.

The plea from residents in Midleton, Co Cork, comes as it emerged that Cork County Council has had to submit a third application since May for a special derogation to carry out emergency dredging works in a section of the Owenacurra River after the first two were not granted on the basis of “scientific advice” from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

A major report ordered after Midleton was devastated by flooding during last October’s Storm Babet recommended a raft of interim measures to minimise flood risk before the town’s flood relief scheme is delivered. 

Among the recommended measures, which experts said should be implemented “as a matter of urgency”, was the removal of gravel deposition from the river and floodplain at Moore’s Lane.

There is a closed season for dredging and other streamworks between October 1 and April 30 to allow salmon upstream to spawn but the Local Authority Works Act 1949 does allow an exemption for such works when they are carried out in an emergency situation.

The Irish Examiner has established that the council submitted derogation applications in May and again in June to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications’ IFI unit relating to the removal of gravel close to Moore’s Bridge, where several homes were devastated during last October’s flood.

Stone deposits in the Owennacurra river near Moore's Bridge. Picture: Dan Linehan

Both were refused on the basis of scientific advice from IFI, a spokesperson for the department said. The council submitted an updated application for a derogation last Friday and it has been sent to IFI for their scientific advice, as is normal practice, he said.

“It would not be appropriate to comment further while this updated application is under consideration,” he added.

Brenda Mooney, whose home near Moore’s Bridge was one of several destroyed last October, said she and her neighbours are living in fear of another flood.

“They seem to be prioritising fish over people," she said.

“Last October, the water came in under the walls of the house. We had to replace floors, skirting boards, we had to get new doors, new appliances, and replace electrics. It was a complete nightmare — we are still working on the cost of it.

“We got an initial payment from the emergency fund of €1,500 but the means test prevented us from getting access to the humanitarian fund.

It broke us mentally. For two weeks afterwards, we were just wandering around cleaning things up, and waiting for it to happen again.

“And last April, the water came right up to the door of a neighbour. The deposits left after the October flood have raised the river level by about three feet. 

"And to think that 10 months later, two applications for dredging have been refused. We are just really concerned about what lies ahead, as we come into the autumn."

“Some people have said they’d nearly rent a digger themselves and do the work, and risk the threat of prosecution.” 

Brenda Mooney, whose home near Moore’s Bridge was one of several destroyed last October, said she and her neighbours are living in fear of another flood. Picture: Dan Linehan

In a two-sentence statement, Cork County Council said it is engaging with all the stakeholders involved, including IFI and the department, to agree a method of removal that will ensure aquatic life is not unduly impacted by the works.

“This process is currently ongoing and, as such, Cork County Council is not able to comment further until the process is complete,” it said.

The Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group criticised the painfully slow progress in the delivery of the interim measures.

“It is absolutely mind-boggling and heartbreaking for the families, who are first in line of this river overtopping, to see that the processes and procedures in this country take priority over the lives, homes, and mental health of families with small children, living with this risk every day,” a spokesperson said.