Rivers agency staff monitor the two pumps at Derrychara Link, Enniskillen RMG52
WORK to prevent flooding at the Derrychara Link in Enniskillen has cost over £80,000 since the start of December.
The Herald can reveal the pumping system, in place since 2011, now costs well over £1,300 a day to run and is manned by three staff on a 24 hour basis.
The Derrychara Link is home to a number of retail units and also serves as a route between Erneside Shopping Centre and Tesco.
A spokesman for Rivers Agency explained that staff have been working at Derrychara Link since December 5, with the work mainly involving pumping water to prevent flooding of property. The spokesman also outlined to the Herald the full extent of the costs since installation and its use since 2011, which reveals a bill of over £100,000.
“The pump was manned by staff on a 24 hour rotational basis with three eight- hour shifts). Normally three staff manned the equipment, depending on pumping requirements.
“Since its installation in 2011 the running and maintenance costs of the Derrychara Link pumping system at Enniskillen (including staffing, maintenance and fuel costs) are as follows.
“Approximately £500 was spent on one occasion during each of the years 2011/2012 and 2014/2015 testing the facility to ensure it was in good working order, however the facility was not required to be operational during either of these years.
“In 2012/2013 the pumping system was operational for six days at a total approximate cost of £6,000. In 2013/2014 the pumping system was operational for 6 days at a total approximate cost of £16,500. In 2015/2016 to date the facility has been in operation for 59 days at an approximate cost of £80,000. Therefore since the installation the running and maintenance costs of the facility totals approximately £103,500.”
On average up to January 18 that means that since December 5 the pump at Derrychara Link has costing a whopping £1,355.93 per day.
Liam Smyth, a manager at Island Interiors on the Derrychara Link Road called the money spent “excessive” and explained that despite the pump being in place the business missed out on two days of trade over the Christmas period.
“It was the last Saturday before Christmas and the week after Christmas, because the flooding was so severe, the road was actually blocked. The Saturday before Christmas it just worsened as the day went on, we came into work, but we ended up closing around 11.30am, there was just no point in staying open.
“It severely would have disrupted us. I don’t think the pump had much of an impact for us, except I suppose it would have helped them clear water. At his worst it was normally gone the day after so that’s probably the advantage of the pump.”He called on a more permanent solution to the problem.
“I would have thought there’s a better way to fix that on a permanent basis to avoid this happening a couple of times a year.”
Local Enniskillen DUP councillor Keith Elliott added: “The work that was going on there was good work and it was necessary. I suppose the final figure is high in regards to what they were doing at that time, but I would say it is money well spent.”
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