Waterways Ireland is set to move boats on from moorings, writes Brian Goggin
Shannon Harbour, where the Grand Canal meets the Shannon, is usually full of boats: a fascinating variety of them, including barges, narrowboats, wooden cruisers, fibreglass cruisers and projects in various stages of repair. Some of the boats are wrecks; some are lived on; some are owned by people who are either unable to find Shannon marina berths or are unwilling to pay Shannon prices. And some, no doubt, just like the place.It can be difficult for a visiting boat to find a berth: boats can be parked three deep on one side and two deep on the other. But, in conjunction with the harbour improvement works currently underway, Waterways Ireland is beginning to use its powers under the existing canal bye-laws to tidy up Shannon Harbour. Bye-law 25 reads: "No person shall moor a boat at the same place on the canals, or within 500 metres of the same place, for more than five days without the appropriate permit from the Commissioners."
Until now, the "appropriate permit" has not existed: some time ago I asked WI whether the normal permit (the Combined Annual Mooring Permit) was an "appropriate permit" under Bye-law 25. I was told that it wasn't. But WI has now introduced an "appropriate permit": The "appropriate permit" is the Combined Annual Mooring Permit accompanied by a specific application from a vessel owner requesting permission to remain moored at a specific place for more than five days which the Waterways Ireland Inspectorate has stamped and approved.
The conditions on which the Inspectorate will approve applications are not stated; I was told that "Each application for extended stay will be examined by the Inspector and factors such as location, length of stay and time of year will inform the Inspector's decision... each case of a long-term live-aboard will be treated on its own merits."
Of necessity, most boats based on the canals are in breach of Bye-law 25 most of the time, because there are no marinas on the Grand (except for a short stretch of quay at Lowtown), so boats have to tie to the banks. This new move rather cleverly brings the boats on the canals within WI's control, regularising the situation of those who make contact with WI while allowing it to take action against non-compliant boat-owners. WI told me that: "It is fair to say that with the present injection of capital into Shannon Harbour, we are treating it as the lead location towards having all the canals' recognised hard-edged moorings available to the visiting boating community rather than having them as boat parks and we are committed to spreading this throughout the canal."
It is Waterways Ireland's intention over time to seek to free up use of hard-edged moorings from boats permanently left there or occupying such prime mooring for long periods of time to allow use of these for craft wishing to tour along the canals to encourage this use of the navigation.
WI is currently asking owners of boats to move them out of Shannon Harbour if the boats have been unused for a considerable time, if they are "long-term non-permitted" or if they are blocking berths, jetties or lock approaches. It has recently moved several boats that were obstructing bridges, jetties, locks or sluices. Perhaps Graiguenamanagh might be next on the list.
New rules for dry docks
Waterways Ireland has dry docks at Shannon Harbour, Athy, Tullamore, Roosky and Richmond Harbour. Those at Shannon Harbour (one covered, one open) are by far the most popular, as all of the others have one or more disadvantages (lack of security, restricted access, high cost or non-availability).
New railings were placed around the open dock at Shannon Harbour last year. They improve security and safety, although their design makes it impossible to throw a bow-rope on to a bollard.
Now new rules for the use of the dry docks have been introduced, again under existing bye-laws:
Any commercial operation on Canal Property requires a licence in order to operate. Persons wishing to carry out (set up) commercial operations on WI property should apply to Waterways Ireland (Property & Legal) for a licence. They will then be advised as to the requirements.
The requirements include proof of insurance and indemnification of WI against all claims, losses, damages or injuries. Boat-owners too must show that they have adequate insurance for the works proposed. Information about these new rules will be on the WI website www.waterwaysireland.org shortly.
Dan Gleeson was a well-known figure on the inland waterways, especially at Dromineer, where he had a house on the waterfront, and in Shannon Harbour, where he kept a boat. Last year, he noticed members of the Nenagh Canoe Club launching their craft from the beach beside his house. The club was a new one, desperately short of equipment and money. It had no premises, and training was conducted in Nenagh swimming-pool in winter and in Dromineer in summer. Yet it had managed to train over 30 young people to Levels 1 and 2, despite having no kayaks: it relied on those lent by its trainer. Later on, some of the older members bought kayaks and shared them with the younger members, but the amount of equipment was still clearly inadequate.
Dan conceived the idea of asking the inland waterways community to help these new recruits to the waterways. He felt that existing boat-owners, and their voluntary associations, would be willing to contribute, either in cash or in kind, and as a first step he intended to ask the Heritage Boat Association, at its AGM last November, to get involved.
Tragically, Dan was drowned at Shannon Harbour in the week before the AGM, and his funeral took place on the morning of the meeting. But he was very much on the minds of those present. The meeting began with a minute's silence in his memory and, later, it was unanimously agreed that Dan's campaign to help the Nenagh Canoe Club should be continued: the HBA itself would contribute money and would cooperate with IWAI branches and with any individuals who wanted to contribute.
The Lough Derg and Carrick-on-Shannon branches of IWAI joined with the HBA and managed to provide two second-hand kayaks and four brand-new kayaks, as well as paddles, helmets and PFDs. The equipment was handed over in Dromineer, alongside HBA Chairman Gerry Burke's barge 68M, and some weeks later the Canoe Club hosted the donors, and other organisations, at a formal launch ceremony, to which members of Dan's family were invited.
Waterways round-upA quick round-up of some of the work that has been going on over the winter and some that is in prospect.
Several Shannon locks were closed briefly for repair and maintenance work recently. They included the ESB's Ardnacrusha locks (due to reopen in mid-April) and WI's Victoria (Meelick), Albert (Jamestown) and Athlone locks. There was a more substantial renovation of Battlebridge Lock on the Lough Allen Canal, where WI spent €195,000 on cleaning the cut-stone walls, repointing joints and strengthening behind the walls. The lock, built in the early nineteenth century, had been leaking; the renovation will stop the leaks and strengthen the structure.
On the Lower Bann, WI has spent £194,000 at Camus, constructing a rock armour retaining wall and 20m of floating jetties. In total it spent about £330,000 on the Lower Bann in 2008–9, principally at Camus and Portglenone Wood.
In preparation for the reopening of the Royal Canal, WI will be installing floating jetties and a weir boom on the Camlin River, just outside Richmond Harbour, where the Royal meets the Shannon.
Lecarrow Harbour is at the head of a short canal off Lough Ree. WI will be working there until August, improving the shore-based amenities in cooperation with Roscommon County Council. WI is building and paying for a new access road, a slipway and an associated car park. The County Council is paying for a new playground and for upgrading the existing public car park. The two bodies are sharing the cost of a new service block and pump-out. WI's contribution to the total will be over €500,000.
WI is applying for planning permission for 250m of fully serviced floating jetties, a walkway and a pedestrian access bridge at Killaloe. The project will include underpinning and widening 500m of the canal wall, to improve the existing moorings, and a remotely operated "lock gate type structure... to prevent ongoing and future undermining and scouring of the canal walls and banks".
The Water Framework DirectiveThe Water Framework Directive (WFD), adopted by the European Union in 2000, requires the governments of EU member states to manage the quality of their water bodies. That includes both groundwater (which actually means underground water) and surface waters, whether natural or artificial, including rivers, lakes, canals, estuaries, wetlands, reservoirs and coastal waters.
These waters are to reach good status by 2015 and are to be protected against deterioration. The term good status is defined in scientific terms: it's not just a matter of casual impressions of what a body of water looks like. There are some special provisions: even higher standards apply to some waters, eg those used for bathing, for rearing shellfish or for supplying drinking water. On the other hand, artificial waters (eg canals) and those that have been heavily modified (eg reservoirs, ports or flood defences) provide essential benefits and are subject to less stringent standards.
Public authorities have undertaken a massive amount of work to identify the current status of all waters, find the pressures on their status and examine the relevant legislation.
There are several types of pressures on the Shannon; they include the effects of wash (in sensitive areas) and of the use of sea-toilets.
Their work will culminate in the production of a River Basin Management Plan for each of eight areas on the island. The drafts of those plans are now available; consultation meetings have been scheduled around the country up to mid-May and the authorities are seeking people's views by 22 June 2009. See www.shannonrbd.com and www.wfdireland.ie
PublicationsWaterways Ireland has published four new Lakelands and Inland Waterways leaflets: Lough Erne, Lough Allen and Lough Key, Lough Ree and Mid Shannon and Lough Derg. Featuring large maps of the waterways and surrounding areas, they list restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, activities and heritage and other attractions along the waterways and in the surrounding areas. The Lakelands and Inland Waterways initiative reflects Waterways Ireland's strategic decision to form closer links with tourism authorities.
WI has also published a new guide to the Lower Bann, in cooperation with Coleraine Harbour Commissioners, who control the river from the sea upstream to Coleraine Town Bridge. The guide is printed on a water-resistant A4 paper, spiral bound to open flat, and each map spans two pages. This large format allows for a lot of detail, and there are keys to the symbols on fold-out flaps at front and rear: in general, the symbols you need while moving are on the front flap and those you need while moored are on the rear. I think some minor improvements could be made, but this new format is very much to be welcomed and should be really useful when applied to the Shannon and Erne charts.
Published in Afloat April//May 2009
