No money to stop Laois factory floods
The man-made pond beside the Meadow Meats factory in Rathdowney. Image: Google Maps
MONEY is not available to install an automatic sluice gate at Meadow Meats in Rathdowney, despite a risk of flooding “pandemonium” in the town.
Laois Co Council does not have a budget to replace the current manually-operated sluice gate at the factory, which would cost between €80,000 and €100,000.
The bad news was given to Cllr John King, at the February meeting of Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District.
The Rathdowney councillor warned: “Someday what will happen is there'll be a serious flood and there'll be no one opening the gate and then we will have pandemonium. Flooding all the way back up to Dunnes Stores and I've seen it happening before.”
The lack of an automatic sluice gate has seen the Meadow Meats premises in Rathdowney flood numerous times, during periods of heavy rainfall. The factory beside a man-made pond is owned by the Dawn Meats Group.
Cllr King sought an update on plans to install an automatic sluice gate at Meadow Meats, ‘in order to prevent overflowing of water in the pond nearby’.
In a written response, a council official said: ‘The installation of an automatic sluice gate requires that the pond/watercourse be temporarily dammed and piped so a survey of the existing sluice gate, the sluice gate supports and the watercourse bed can be carried out.
‘This requires an appropriate ecological assessment to be carried out. The estimated costs for the preparatory works and the installation of the new sluice gate is approximately €80,000 to €100,000. The area office does not have a budget for these works.’
Having sought an automatic gate for the pond since 2022, Cllr King was unhappy with the response. He said that, while the gate is currently opened by hand, the council needs to have a plan for works.
There was much discussion on the cost of the works, with Cllr James Kelly enquiring how much the assessment alone would cost. The answer was from €2,000 to €2,500.
Further discussion saw many councillors argue that Dawn Meats should co-fund the works along with Laois Co Council, especially given their “huge profits off the backs of farmers” in the words of Cllr Ollie Clooney.
It was agreed that a meeting would be held with the factory owner regarding the issue.
