This article is from page 12 of the 2012-07-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
WATER levels on the River Shannon rose by a massive 500 centimetre in just 10 days in June, raising fears of unprecedented summer floods affecting parts of East and South Clare. Water levels on the river are currently on a par to the levels normally seen in October and November.
This has sparked concerns that an unprecedented summer flood could hit East Clare communities who are sometimes affected by winter flooding from the Shannon.
Concern has also been expressed that waterlogged area in parts of the county could be more susceptible to winter flooding this year – if the backlog of water doesn’t get a chance to clear.
The overall water levels on the River Shannon last month were more than 300 centimetre higher than the average for June of 2011.
According to figures released by the ESB, who control water flow at Ardnacrusha, water levels on the river rose from 37.7 metre on June 6 to 38.2 metres on June 16 and stood at 38.3 metres at the end of June.
The June water level was on a par with the November 2010 level, while it was marginally higher than the peak level in October 2009 – when many Clare towns were devastated by flooding.
It is as yet unclear how much of this massive backlog of water can be cleared by the ESB’s management of the Parteen Weir and Ardnacrusha.
A build-up of water which began in October of 2009 eventually contributed to widespread flooding across many areas in South East Clare later that year.