Flood mitigation is caught in a circular blame game says Cllr Jill Truesdale
Alliance Mournes Councillor Jill Truesdale has outlined very clearly her frustrations over the past year in the lack of any progress from Newry Mourne and Down District Council, Rivers and NI Water to address the Newcastle flooding issues which occurred in October and November 2023.
She said: ‘No agency will take responsibility for the water which runs through council land and no mitigations have been put in place to prevent last year’s flooding happening again.
“Extensive correspondence and oral questions have travelled via our MLA’s and myself for the entire year, but we are continually pushed back with the same answers and no solutions.”
Previously Councillor Truesdale had called on the Rivers Agency to assist Council in repairing the collapsing weir close to the mouth of the Shimna River and to exercise its statutory obligations in keeping watercourses clear and unimpeded.
And she explained that Rivers Agency said there was no impediment to the water and they were under no obligation to repair the weir as the ownership was not clear.
The response from the Department of Infrastructure made clear they do not own the land through which this watercourse runs.
“Cllr Truesdale added that “they say it would be a matter for the riparian owner of this land to ensure that any safety risks are appropriately controlled and properly managed.
“Rivers Agency also state very clearly Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, are responsible for the maintenance and management of Castle Park and the boating lake.”
At the time of the floods in 2023 Councillor Truesdale asked in an open Council meeting for a list of all the watercourses running through Council land in Newcastle and who was responsible for each of them. No such list existed, but this was to be given attention.
She said she has still not received a list.
Jill said: ‘It has now been brought to my attention that other weirs are collapsing on the Shimna Road bridge area around the man-made boundary of the boating pond and yet again neither agency will take responsibility nor work together to help repair the area.
Cllr Truesdale added: “As the weirs continue to collapse and the riverbed on the upstream side of the bridge continues to be exposed, we are faced with two events of great significance.
“The first will be the adverse effects on salmon and sea trout not being able to reach their destination.
“Secondly, we were fortunate in that we had a cold, wet Summer so the predicted noxious smells from the exposed riverbed, that are now visible due to the uncontrolled hydraulic flow at the weir which has lowered the water level upstream of this, did not occur.
“This is a matter of huge importance and must be rectified as quickly as possible as it is changing the entire ecosystem of that section of river and will have severe negative consequences.
“Multiple agencies are not taking responsibility for the required repair/upgrade to the visible problems with the infrastructure in the town, so what hope is there to repair and upgrade the things that can’t be seen?
“This is particularly evident in the drainage system upstream towards Marguerite, Elmgrove and Ballaghbeg, where the failure of the drainage system to convey water away from these areas was identified by DFI Rivers and contributed to the flooding of these areas.
“S”ystems were working, as NI Water say, ‘at full capacity’, given we are heading for wetter, warmer weather then we need to increase ‘full capacity’ and work on discharging increasing water levels elsewhere.
