COURTOWN’S TRANSFORMED HARBOUR
CONTRACTORS PUMP ALL WATER OUT TO SEA AS WORK ON HARBOUR WALLS BEGINS
COURTOWN Harbour has finally been drained of its water after three long years and many delays.
Harbour users will be glad to hear the contractor has successfully pumped the water from the harbour out to sea, due to a spell of dry weather. They have now begun repairing and re-pointing the harbour walls, which will take a total of two to three weeks to complete.
It was back to square one for the draining and dredging two weeks ago. Severe rainfall nearly caused widespread flooding in the area, after the three existing inflows were dammed. The rain proved a setback for previous pumping work and the level of water in the harbour was the highest it had been in years.
The two rivers, the Ounavarra and the Aughboy, are being diverted out to sea, while the main entrance to the harbour is being dammed half way up the channel.
Officials from Inland Fisheries were busy last week, as they rescued fish caught in the harbour when water levels dropped slowly.
The contractor originally planned to have this completed before Christmas, but disastrous weather in November cleared the dams, which had been put in place. The sand for the dams is now being placed in large containers to prevent it from washing away again.
It was announced three years ago that Courtown Harbour would be drained and dredged and it is four decades since it was last completely drained.