Inch by inch, the river rises

Water levels at the bridge, yesterday and today.

The river is running about one inch higher than it was this time yesterday, bringing it to about 10 inches higher than it was on Sunday, writes Brian Byrne. It's unlikely to rise high enough to cause flooding downtown, as the flow is controlled by the dam at Poulaphuca, built in 1940, and the one at Golden Falls, Ballymore. That latter, as Eugene Brennan from Kilcullen has explained, is a "compensatory lake" to buffer the flow.

There is local lore that floods were fairly regular in the town square area prior to 1940, with particular references to 1896, 1903, and 1918. Our local heritage historian, Mary Orford, has referenced 'The Schools Collection' item from Kilcullen Convent School, information from 'Mr Ffrench, Mrs Kearney, Mr O'Neill, and Betty Byrne'. 

The nature of the river prior to the building of the Poulaphuca Dam was uncontrolled, and heavy rains in the West Wicklow mountains would likely swell the flow to damaging levels, especially as the meander section between Ballymore and here would get constricted into the valley on which Kilcullen was established and grew. 

We have had floods since the dam was built. In 1993, the Liffey burst its banks here, and the Bank of Ireland was among the buildings affected, particularly its basement. There was also flooding in the lower town area in August 2008 during a severe rainstorm, with the most affected businesses being Fallons and the White Horse Inn. In that event, the problem wasn't the river, but blocked drains, and the flooding subsided after the Fire Service cleared them. In 2009, following an ESB warning to all communities along the Liffey, there was some excess water through the Mill Stream, but no major damage. 

Water creep at the pathway under the bridge, yesterday and today.

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