Noel Davern
Ceist:136 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Finance when the urgently needed drainage of the River Suir will take place; the estimated cost of such drainage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1074/96]
Written Answers. - River Suir Drainage.
The Suir is included in the priority list of major rivers being considered for treatment under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945. This Act envisaged the execution of drainage works on the basis of comprehensive schemes for entire catchment areas. The Suir catchment was, in fact, surveyed some years ago in the context of a scheme under the 1945 Act and considerable progress was made on the design of a scheme. However, much remains to be done and it would not be possible to say when this process might be completed particularly in the light of the demand on the limited resources available.
Nor, in the absence of a completed design, would it be possible to put a reliable estimate on the cost of a scheme, though indications are that it could approach £100 million. The catchment is 1375 square miles (880,000 acres) in extent and contains a total of 1,150 miles approximately of main and tributary channels with associated structures such as weirs, bridges and embankments.
In recent years, the high cost of the works themselves, coupled with changing emphasis in land use as well as environmental and other considerations, have made it increasingly difficult to devise an economically acceptable scheme for large catchment areas. In July last the Arterial Drainage (Amendment) Act, 1995 was passed into law. This Act extended the powers of the Commissioners of Public Works to enable them to carry out schemes for localised flood relief in addition to their existing powers in relation to comprehensive catchment schemes. A number of localised schemes are currently being prepared and are expected to get under way this year. Although this immediate programme does not include any areas within the Suir catchment, I would certainly envisage some such areas being included for priority consideration in the future.