KILDARE: Waterways at risk because of silt

A number of waterways in the Naas area are at risk because of the accumulation of silt.

Cllr Fintan Brett told a Naas Municipal District meeting that a special fund should be created “for the maintenance of rivers, culverts and lakes in the Naas area.

Cllr Brett said the proliferation of sandpits in the area means that silt is generated and then is washed out of these areas.

“There are many sandpits in this area,” he said.

There is concern among local councillors that the Naas Lakes could be at risk as well as the yet-to-be-opened De Burgh gardens off Sallins Road, Naas.

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But Kildare County Council says there is “budget provision” to cover existing drainage districts and where the council has carried out flood relief works. 

A schedule of works is decided each year and priority is given to “those areas where houses are at risk of flooding.”

Machine works are limited to between July  and September and depend on ecological assessment as well as liaising with Inland Fisheries Ireland and an  assessment of health and  safety risks.

According to KCC, assigning a budget in different areas “could lead to undue pressure to carry out works in certain areas where there is additional budget." And this could be done at the expense of other places where maintenance is required.