Damn the Dam

The summer of 1971 saw the Listowel Urban District Council expressing concern at proposals to impound or extract water from the Feale and the Smearlagh rivers. A national newspaper had carried a report that the County Manager had stated that a survey on the availability of fresh water supply for industry in the Shannon Estuary was carried out and as a result it was recommended that the water be taken from the river Feale to supply the area between Ballylongford and Foynes. The report recommended four stages of development… (1) an abstraction at Listowel would give 7.8 million gallons of water per day; (2) An impoundment of a supply at Lyreacrompane would yield 8.2 million per day and stages three and four would involve a further impoundment just above Listowel Bridge and at Abbeyfeale if necessary –making a total abstraction of 35 million gallons per day.

Mr Thomas P Walsh, who raised the matter in the form of a notice at the monthly meeting of the Listowel Urban Council, said that what had to be considered by the UDC is the effects any further abstraction of water would have on Listowel town. “It is my view that any further depletion of the flow of water in the river Feale would result in serious pollution from our sewers and could be the cause of the loss of industry to the town not to mention the effects on angling tourism.”, said Mr Walsh.

Mr. M. L. O’Connell, presiding said Mr. Walsh had raised an extremely important point at the right time and the Council should get expert advice on it.

The idea hasn’t gone away you know.

In the mid 1970s Kerry County Council looked at the possibility of sorting North Kerry’s water needs by damming the Smearlagh. Test drillings were carried out but the project never went ahead. In 2006 the Council had another look at the water needs of Kerry. The following is taken from the Public Consultation document it issued then

PUBLIC CONSULTATION –Kerry Water Services Investment Programme (Draft Assessment of Needs Report 2006)

In 2003, the Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government (DEHLG) requested Kerry County Council to prepare an Assessment of Needs for Water Services Investment which would identify the medium term requirements of all the Local Authorities in one consolidated list. This was duly done and an Assessment of Needs was adopted by the members of Kerry County Council in November 2003. Substantial works are in train as a result. Local Authorities have been requested by DEHLG to prepare updated assessments of water services needs in view of the scale and pattern of demographic and economic developments in recent years and to provide an input into the next National Development Plan.

The water Services Department considers that the most pressing short terms needs of the county are to: - Meet our statutory requirements to provide water that meets the standards of the Drinking Water Regulations. - Improve the water supply and wastewater infrastructure in the areas which are under the greatest developmental and/or environ- mental pressures. - Provide County Strategic Studies for the future development of the water and sewerage infrastructure and that the key medium to long term needs are: - The planning and provision of the Smearlagh dam which is needed to provide a long term secure high-quality water source for North Kerry, and is especially significant in view of the potential of the Ballylongford land bank for development. (Cost of site investigation would be just under one million and the cost of construction would be €35m.) - A roll-out of the projects identified by the strategic studies.

Dáil Éireann - May, 1950

Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Lands whether he is aware that Mr. Jeremiah O'Connell, Glenderry, Lyreacrompane, Listowel, County Kerry, offered to sell some acres of turbary to his Department; and, if so, if he will now state whether it is the intention of the Land Commission to purchase this land with a view to dividing it between the people in the district who are applicants for turbary.

Mr. Blowick: The Land Commission has no proceedings in respect of this turbary. I will ask them to investigate the matter and expedite their decision.