Vol. 557 No. 4
469 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has been assured by Waterways Ireland and Dúchas that all debris at Meelick Weir has been removed, including boards restricting the flow of water over the weir wall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22236/02]
Waterways Ireland is one of the six North-South implementation bodies established by the British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999. The body's remit is the management, maintenance, development and restoration of the inland navigable waterway system, principally for recreational purposes. The matter raised by the Deputy is a day-to-day operational matter for Waterways Ireland and not for Dúchas.
Waterways Ireland informs me that there are 115 boards in the weir at Meelick. The purpose of these is to ensure a sufficient depth of water to allow for navigation in times of low water flows. The level of water on this stretch of river is controlled by these weir boards in conjunction with 18 sluices at Marlborough, near Meelick, and 12 sluices at Meelick. The navigation weir boards have been removed from Meelick Weir and all sluices, both at Meelick Weir and at Marlborough Sluices, have been fully opened to afford the maximum drainage benefit possible. Any flood debris at the weir is removed on a continuous basis, when it is safe to do so. When all the weir boards are removed and all the sluices are open, Waterways Ireland has no further control over water levels. Water levels on the Shannon are controlled by a series of weirs with sluices; the levels in the channels are controlled by Waterways Ireland and in the lakes by the ESB.
