Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
51. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to provide an update on OPW planned flood relief works in the Mornington and Bettystown areas of east Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52030/23]
View answerThere is an existing Flood Relief Scheme in place in Mornington, Co. Meath providing protection to 162 properties. The OPW has a programme of maintenance in place for this scheme.
After the August 2023 flood event in the Mornington/Bettystown area a senior level group involving the OPW and Meath County Council was established to review the event and any additional measures in the Mornington/Bettystown area that may now be required.
To date two meetings have taken place between the OPW, Meath County Council and the engineering consultants RPS. The most recent meeting to review progress to date on the potential flood relief measures for Mornington/Bettystown took place on 26th October and was attended by representatives from the OPW, Meath County Council, RPS consulting engineers and Uisce Éireann. The next meeting is due to be held on the 1st of December.
To inform this group the OPW has instructed RPS to investigate both the cause and magnitude of the flooding events in Mornington in August and again in October of this year. This investigation will inform any appropriate short term measures that can be taken to manage the flood risk in this area and in the longer term the design for those further flood relief defences currently proposed.
The first part of this report for the August event is currently being finalised. An additional part will include the October event and RPS are endeavouring to have an initial draft of this addendum report for the meeting on the 1st of December.
When this work is complete, OPW, MCC and Uisce Éireann will consider the contents of same before identifying any medium or long-term actions.
The following actions have been identified to be undertaken by Meath County Council in the short term:
• Weather conditions and water levels will be monitored on a regular basis and the Council crews will regularly check for blockages at bridges and culverts (and remove as required).
• As a response to any potential future event, Meath County Council will maintain a supply of sandbags on hand to distribute at short notice and continue to provide temporary pumping solutions in some areas.
• Meath County Council are due to commence at the end of November, the removal/trimming of trees in some of the streams in the area. These include the streams to the north and south of the Village Estate which form part of the Mornington Drainage District. When the larger pieces of vegetation that could cause blockages have been removed, any cleaning required will be undertaken.
In addition OPW have commenced, on the 9th October, the annual maintenance of the Mornington Stream channel and embankments. This work will continue until mid-December 2023. Meath County Council have also requested OPW to undertake the annual maintenance of the Northlands scheme and this is scheduled, weather permitting, to take place between the 4th and the 6th of December.
