Lough Funshinagh in south Roscommon fills five times more quickly than it drains.
The Geological Survey of Ireland has this week released groundwater flooding maps and live turlough data service as part of the 2016-2019 GW Flood project.
It was established by the then Minister for Communications Roscommon Galway TD Denis Naughten in the aftermath of the serious groundwater flooding event of winter 2015/2016.
Dr Ted McCormack from the GSI says a swallow hole in the south of the lake is the most likely release point for water from the turlough but while the lake can fill with water equivalent to five Olympics- sized swimming pools it can only drain the equivalent of one per hour.
He also says that widening the swallow hole is not necessarily going to alleviate the situation as there are likely to be many more obstructions in the ground water system between there and where waters appear again a number of miles south.
Dr McCormack says that in many cases where excess water is an issue, draining some of the water has been a solution but there are many considerations.
