BUNCRANA PIER

SILT PROBLEM

Question :

Recently there was news that 1.6 million euro was being allocated to the ferry slipway and associated dredging at the pier in Buncrana. There was considerable work done last year at great expense, with a massive stone wall being constructed to house the dredged silt, which took away a proportion of the beach at Lisfannon. Does this mean that the work last year failed and if so does this mean that any impact assessment carried out was inaccurate and is someone accountable for the apparent error? Thanks HT by e-mail

I have passed this particular question over to Padraig MacLaughlan the mayor of Buncrana for an informed answer.

Answer
This response is my personal view. I am only aware of the chance of possible funding for a breakwater on the black rock side of the pier and associated dredging. Clearly, the analysis that just dredging the existing pier would solve the problem of silting was flawed. Local fishermen have argued that the Inch causeway, a man made structure, causes a counter tide to run back across the white strand. This is to a large extent, responsible for the silting. This advice was ignored by the consultants and the County Council. The stone wall was necessitated by the new Department of Marine environmental regulations pertaining to obtaining a dredging licence. It is no longer possible to dump dredged material out to sea. It must be suction dredged back to land. Hence the requirement for the stone wall to contain the dredged material. It is now argued by the consultants that a breakwater will solve the problem of silting at the pier and that this will facilitate the lifeboat. I remain to be convinced, looking at the track record of these particular consultants around the county. However, if it facilitates the safe passage of the lifeboat and to a lesser extent, the ferry, then I will adopt a wait and see approach to the issue.

Update: The area where the silt was dredged and put onto the beach has now grown. The whole area has now turned into more holes for the golf course. There are other articles in the blog that relate to the issue.

Environmental.