Fixing of Atlantic Pond tide gate may cost €50k

Further concerns have been raised about the broken tidal gate at the Atlantic Pond in Cork City and the need to get it fixed as soon as possible.

The tidal gate, which is supposed to prevent salt water entering the pond, has been broken for more than three weeks.

Speaking to The Echo, Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy said the flooding around the Atlantic Pond is “a huge source of concern for users of the amenity”.

“The Atlantic Pond is as busy as The Lough in terms of frequent visitors and also is a site of high biodiversity value,” he said. “I spoke with the City Council engineer on site in the last few mornings.

“The drainage team present, as well as the contracted marine scuba diving engineer team, have only just found the much corroded and collapsed large iron flap/ gate, which leaves water in and out under the Marina Walk.

“The large broken iron flap/ gate section with its enormous pipe is 1970s in date and it is this pipe the scuba diver went down into safely last Friday morning.

“The pipe connects into the much larger 1840’s engineering section which can be seen through tree and old stone arches in the eastern section of the Atlantic Pond.

“As it is a specialised engineering job, the City Council have estimated that the cost of repair is anywhere between €30,000 and €50,000.”

Mr McCarthy said that Cork City Council has applied to central government for such emergency funding and is awaiting the Government’s response.

“In the meantime, the engineering resolution is estimated at another fortnight at least,” he said.

Mr McCarthy said the Atlantic Pond represents “one of the city’s greatest engineering projects of early 19th century Cork” and has “stood the test of time for nearly 180 years”.

“In 1843, city engineer Edward Russell was commissioned to present plans for the reclamation of the south sloblands, some 230 acres extending from Victoria Road to the river front with the proposed aim of creating an enormous public park and some building ground,” he said.

“It is important now that finance is found to secure the use of the Atlantic Pond amenity for future decades.”