Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2018
189. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to establish arterial drainage schemes on the River Erne system in County Cavan in view of the difficulties caused by flooding in that area and the need to have a comprehensive programme of drainage works undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49269/18]
View answerHistorically, flood risk management focused on the arterial drainage of river catchments to improve agricultural land. Maintenance of Arterial and Drainage District channels, designated under the Arterial Drainage Act 1945, is the responsibility of the OPW and Local Authorities respectively. These include the maintenance by the OPW of the Boyne, Inny and Glyde-and-Dee Arterial Drainage Schemes in County Cavan that in 2018 includes seventy-eight kilometres of river channel maintenance at an estimated cost of €460,000.
In 1995, due to nationally increasing urbanisation, the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 was amended to facilitate the OPW’s implementation of localised flood relief schemes to provide flood protection to cities, towns and villages.
The launch of the Flood Risk Management Plans in May 2018, following the largest ever study of flood risk in Ireland, has identified that Government investment is feasible to protect 95 percent of properties at assessed risk from significant flooding through flood relief schemes.
Together with this legislative amendment and in line with the Government's 2004 policy on flood risk management, the OPW has no plans for catchment-wide arterial drainage schemes. However to target the management of flood risk outside of cities, towns and villages, in 2009 the OPW introduced the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme.
The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. To date there have been 724 schemes approved under this Scheme providing important local flood protection measures to their local flood risk.
The OPW approved the sum of €205,002 to Cavan County Council, under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for flood defence works for Drumullan. The works comprised a combination of earthen embankment, culvert and flood wall defences to protect the community of Drumullan from the risk of flooding.
Also, a proposed flood relief scheme for Cavan town, identified by the CFRAM programme, is being progressed at a projected cost of €4.44 million. This proposed scheme involves the construction of a series of hard defences (embankments and walls) protecting 110 properties when completed. The proposed scheme is in the first tranche of projects to be progressed directly by Cavan County Council.
