Re: Re: well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

Park Canal Restoration Project (Limerick City Council)

4. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 Dredging Requirements

One of the main objectives for the restoration of Park Canal is to restore the navigability of the channel extending 1.6km from the confluence with the River Shannon to Lock Quay and its intersection with the Abbey River.

A significant amount of sedimentary material has accumulated on the canal bed over time that will need to be dredged. Between Lock Quay and Park Bridge parts of the canal have been subject to improvements associated with the Limerick Main Drainage works, such that only minor localised dredging will be required. To the east of Park Bridge the water has become very shallow and stagnant in places due to the build-up of silt behind the lock. The canal banks have also become very overgrown. Within this section it will be necessary to dredge the accumulated silt that has built up behind the concrete weir.

It is anticipated that the dredged material will be deposited as backfill material on land in close proximity to the canal. As it is possible that contaminants may be present, sampling and analysis of the material will be required as indicated in the following Section.

The estimated volume of dredged material to be moved amounts to approximately 16,600 cu.m. It is proposed that the dredging would be carried out by specialist contractor using a pumping mechanism attached to a floating pontoon, in order to help minimise the amount of disturbance to the canal banks and its associated ecology (refer Section 4.2).

Council’s €300,000 Blunder (Limerick Post)

by Marie Hobbins

FAILURE by Limerick City Council to dredge the Canal Bank to recommendations, has resulted in an allocation of euro 300,000 from Waterways Ireland been frozen.

A furious Mayor John Gilligan, said he was not aware that the money had been held back, until informed by the Limerick Post.

“We spent an awful lot of money on the canal already, and still have not got it back into full operation”.

He alleged that somebody was trying to do the work on the cheap.

Work will have to be rectified by Limerick City Council before they will receive the funding required to create a free flow of water in the Park canal, and allow boating, including a waterbus.

Funding for the installation of lock gates was not secured by the council, because, it is claimed, they failed to dredge deep enough.

Mayor Gilligan and Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon, who have been lobbying the council to instal the lock gates, learnt earlier this week, that the Waterways Ireland allocation had never been availed of, but were unaware of the error in dredging the canal.

The canal, deemed Limerick’s jewel in the crown of inner city river development when it was awarded over one million euro for its restoration through an EU initiative, has recently had the first phase of its restoration completed, but the effect is overshadowed by the continuing problem of stagnation of the water.

Repeatedly, Mayor Gilligan and O’Hanlon have urged City Hall to press Waterways Ireland, which has responsibility for all inland waterways, to come up with the money for the lock gates and the removal of a bund erected over 30 years ago by developers to prevent flooding during the construction of local housing.

Although intended as a temporary, preventive measure, it was never removed and the result is constant stagnation of the canal water.

Waterways Ireland director, Ray Dunne, was unavailable for comment, but a press office spokesperson was willing to respond. “The allocation of money was only available to us for one year, and as work was not completed in the canal, it was diverted elsewhere”.

Added the Mayor: ”My information is that Waterways Ireland were to demolish the bund at Troy’s Lock and put in lock gates, but during the initial dredging of the canal the banks became destabilised and this had to be remedied before the lock gates could be installed – meantime the funding was not used – it may have gone elsewhere, but we now want it back”.

City engineer Pat Eyres, acknowledged that the dredging was not up to standard required. “The purpose was to open the canal for boating from the railway bridge to O’Halloran’s Bridge. We did not go as deep with our dredging and have to look at the overall project again and open it up to public consultation”.

A furious Mayor John Gilligan, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . informed by the Limerick Post. 😮 Embarrassing 😮

See images from Plassey to Limerick by water (bjg)