Cause of flooding in West Cork being missed

Your articles (Jan 23, Page 9) on the bureaucratic delays and difficulties preventing work on waterways in West Cork was very interesting.

My uneducated view is that the cause of the flooding is being missed. If the flooding pours down the road and into the buildings, work on the streams will not solve that. However if it comes from the streams backing up, there is possibly a simple solution. The streams flow through fairly flat land to Kilkerran Lake. The lake flows into the sea at the south end of Long Strand but the swell constantly shifts the sand and this blocks the outflow. This results in raising the lake level by several feet which backs up the streams to Rathbarry.

The lake sometimes breaks out spontaneously into the sea when it gets too high. Other times it is opened by machine. If it were opened every time it blocked, the problem may well be solved with no work to the streams at all. The concern of Inland Fisheries Ireland about the possible spawning fish is surprising. Kilkerran Lake had a reputation decades ago as a great trout fishery. It is now so polluted that no self-respecting trout or salmon would dream of trying to survive there. It might be brought back to life if its flow were maintained by repeated opening and any sources of pollution were eliminated. If IFI would confirm from testing the lake water quality that the lake would support fish life, their concern about the streams might be understood.