Council rejects claim that motorway has displaced floodwater

Senior Council officials have rejected a claim that the Tuam bypass – which is part of the €550 million motorway project – has displaced water to such an extent that it is flooding hundreds of acres of land.

Cllr Shaun Cunniffe said that the flooding was due to the unprecedented levels of rainfall that occurred over the winter and spring months.

But Director of Services for Roads Liam Gavin refuted claims that the extensive flooding in the Ardacong and Gardenfield areas out the outskirts of Tuam are caused by the construction of the Tuam bypass.

He said that Galway County Council would be sitting down with the Office of Public Works with a view to assessing the extensive flooding in the hope of finding a potential solution.

Mr Gavin said that they would also be looking at the impact of possibly diverting the flood waters onto the nearby River Clare.

He added that OPW were willing to fund a report into the matter – this will assess the current situation and come up with potential solutions. This report will then be presented to the members of Tuam Municipal Council.

At last week’s meeting Cllr Shaun Cunniffe claimed that the extensive flooding was caused by the construction of the motorway. He said that the flooding was never as high and never lasted as long.

The independent councillor said that there needed to be a drainage plan put in place for the motorway. He called for an engineer to be appointed to look at the situation and come up with solutions. He also called on Galway County Council to engage with those involved in the construction of the motorway.

Chairman Cllr Donagh Killilea said that he had met with the owners of 15 properties in the area who were concerned about the flooding and said that a lot of work was being done in the background to try and alleviate the situation.

He said that they discussed the possibility of pumping the water into the River Clare and added that this year’s flooding was unprecedented.

He was accused by Cllr Cunniffe of going “on a solo run” but Cllr Killilea said that he would make “no apologies” for addressing concerns that were raised by local residents.