£500,000 flooding project is welcomed

DAERA will provide £500,000 to fund these works on four river catchment areas. The work will include redirecting watercourses back to the main river systems, erection of riparian fencing and buffer strips along the affected rivers, removing debris, management of overhanging trees and strengthening flood defences.

Denis McMahon, Permanent Secretary at DAERA, said: “Departmental staff are continuing to provide practical assistance to farmers affected by the flooding in August 2017. This funding of £500,000 to enable Loughs Agency to carry out remedial works in the Glenelly and Owenkillew Valleys will also support the farming community impacted by the flooding.

“The benefits arising from these remedial works will contribute to the ecology and water quality of the watercourses affected, and will also assist farmers affected by the flooding, including through fencing for stock control, reduction of unwanted sediment deposition, and prevention of further bankside erosion and resultant loss of grazing.”

Sharon McMahon, Designated Officer at Loughs Agency, said: “The overall aim of this project is to repair and maintain the affected rivers mainly for fishery management purposes but it will also provide a positive effect on the economic, social and environmental area of the Foyle catchment. These works will stabilise river banks and reduce erosion and downstream deposition, ensuring that spawning and invertebrate habitats are safeguarded for the future.”

DAERA, alongside the Loughs Agency which has a statutory obligation for fisheries management in the Foyle area, has been an active participant in the response to the flooding and has worked closely with DfI Rivers, the emergency services, councils and other key organisations to provide support to those who have been affected.