Volunteers sought to help with Magee’s Pool restoration in Donegal as 2017 big flood debris still an issue

It’s almost four years since the Big Flood of 2017 and reminders of the damage from that night still remain. One of these reminders is the pile of woody debris at Magee’s Pool.

The Inishowen Rivers Trust are calling on local volunteers to help clean up the area, dealing with litter and invasive species.

During the devastating flood of August 2017, a large amount of woody debris was swept down the Crana River and gathered in different areas. Much of the debris has now moved on but some piles still remain.

One of these is at Magee’s Pool beside Cockhill Road. The pile has reduced in size but it traps litter and is covered in Himalayan balsam, an invasive annual plant.

Project Officer for the Inishowen Rivers Trust, Trish Murphy, said, “Woody debris has many proven benefits in rivers such as helping to scour the channel bed, cleaning gravels, preventing excessive bank erosion, providing habitat for fish and other animals and helping to regulate water temperatures.

“The pile that gathered at Magee’s on that night has reduced significantly over the last four years but the debris does trap litter and the Trust aims to remove some of the debris, fix larger trunks in place and remove the Himalayan balsam that has invaded the area.“

Following discussions with Donegal County Council’s Flood Relief Scheme Unit, the Trust have secured funding to carry out a clean-up and engage the community in learning more about the river and how its catchment contributes to flow, habitat and biodiversity.

A spokesperson for Donegal County Council said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with the local community in achieving multiple benefits along the River Crana through this proactive community initiative and the wider flood relief scheme.”

The new project will start next week, on Friday, August 20, and the Trust is calling on volunteers to get involved.

There will be lots of opportunities to get involved and lots to learn about the river.

Trish continued: “We will remove the litter, ‘bash’ the Himalayan balsam and remove debris that is not providing a benefit.

“We will also prepare a small booklet about the channel that covers a long section of the river so we can learn more about how the channel functions.”

The Trust have invited the Wild Trout Trust to provide training on managing woody debris on rivers and will include a visit to Magee’s Pool next Tuesday, on August 17. Registration for this event is on Eventbrite.

Volunteers can sign up for the volunteer days at Magee’s Pool by visiting the Trust website www.inishowenriverstrust.com/contact-us/ or by registering online via https://arcg.is/1H1jaq1.

The Trust is also carrying out bank erosion control work near Cockhill Bridge and members of the public can visit the works site during an Open Day on Saturday, August 28.

More details are available on the Trust’s website on www.inishowenriverstrust.com.

This project has been kindly funded by Donegal County Council through Buncrana Flood Relief Scheme and supported by the Local Authority Waters Programme.

*Inishowen Rivers Trust is a charity dedicated to the protection and restoration of the rivers and natural waterbodies of Inishowen for the benefit of all.

The Trust provides training, support and advice and manages projects to support its aims.