I had often noted some large man-made holes on satellite images of Lodge Bog, Allenwood South but never gave them much thought. When I started investigating flooding in Allenwood South, a landowner from Ballyteague informed me that the bog holes were part of a pumped drainage system that he believed was causing flooding on his land.
I went out to the system for a look and I was surprised at the scale of the operation that I found.
About 1 kilometre from the installation I could hear a large noise like machinery working on the bog. As I got closer to the sound, I could see a large pipe with water gushing into a massive pond. There was a three phase transformer, an electrical control panel and two pumps on either side of a central bog hole. Each pump sends water into one of two large ponds.
I followed the flow of the water through a series of ditches and another large pond, where it entered the same stream that runs down from River Road in Allenwood South. The stream enters the River Slate a further 150 metres from this point.
When I visited, it was obvious that one of the pumps had not been running for some time. I also noted that level switches, presumably used to control the pumps, were submerged.
I have since contacted Bord na Móna, who tell me that the system is working as normal, despite a fault with one of the pumps. I have also received some environmental data relating to surface water monitoring at the system from the company.
I visited the EPA HQ in Co. Wexford to view the licence application relating to the drainage of Lodge Bog and was able to learn more about the system there. The system is used to keep the bog dry to allow the peat that has already been cut to be removed. Given that cutaway bogs produce 6,000,000 tonnes of carbon a year per hectare and there are over 900 hectares in this area alone, it is disappointing that Bord na Móna have not yet started the gradual process of ending the artificial drainage.
As the output flow of the system is not being monitored and as the system seems to be restricting the flow of the stream coming from Allenwood South, I did ask Kildare County Council to assist. The council have stated that as the system is licenced by the EPA, I should contact them.
I am now preparing a report for the EPA, where I will ask them to review the licence pertaining to the drainage system to ensure that the output flow rate is properly monitored and not impacting the drainage of the areas further upstream.
