Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Oct 1997

Vol. 481 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - South Galway Flooding.

Mr. Connaughton

I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter. The flooding problems in Gort, south Galway received widespread coverage two years ago when many farms were flooded, livelihoods were threatened and Gort town was covered in water. Large areas did not return to normality until the following year. As the House is aware, many houses were flooded and substantial compensation payments were made to farmers and those who had to be relocated. Will the Minister indicate how much was paid out in compensation overall?

People living in the area were lucky last year when the flooding problems did not recur but if one is to believe the met. office they may not be so lucky this year. The big question is why do the floods cause so much damage so often. This is the question to which people living in the area have not been able to get an answer. The estimated cost of the damage is in excess of £10 million.

With this in mind an in-depth survey was commissioned. Has this been completed and, if so, when will the report be published? It is vitally important the results of the survey are presented to the people of Gort and south Galway at a public meeting. As the House is aware, a number of public meetings have been held. These have been helpful in the sense that the person leading the investigation, Mr. Peach, has been able to outline to ordinary people what he and his team are trying to do. The previous Government estimated that the survey which was expected to take approximately 22 months to complete would cost £750,000.

Many experts have investigated the flooding problems in south Galway. This is the mother of all surveys and is supposed to provide all the answers. Will the report be published and will its findings be presented, as promised, at a public meeting in Gort? Will the Government provide the necessary finance to implement the proposals contained therein?

Mrs. O'Rourke

I am aware of the matter raised by the Deputy and thank him for allowing me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Cullen, to provide the House with information on the position in relation to the report on the investigation of flooding problems in the Gort-Ardrahan area of south Galway. As the Deputy said, the report was commissioned in August 1995 and the overall study is being undertaken by the engineering consultants Jennings O'Donovan and Partners of Sligo and the West Sussex based water company Southern Water Global and was expected to take approximately 20 months to complete.

Due to the winter of 1996 being particularly dry the hydrological-hydrogeological monitoring had to be extended to May 1997 and the study was therefore prolonged by some months. A preliminary report was produced two months after the study commenced which set out the objectives for the overall study which were to quantitatively define the flooding problem; to define the hydrological-hydrogeological processes to assess the effects of climate change; to quantify and rank the environmental importance and economic value of the various turloughs, streams, land areas, wetlands etc, and to propose engineering and other possible solutions and evaluate their economic costs, social, environmental and archaeological implications.

A draft interim report was submitted by the consultants in September 1996 and a public meeting was held in Gort on Thursday, 7 November 1996 at which summary documents were distributed to the local people in attendance. A copy of the full report which ran to five volumes was also available for inspection on the night and the meeting was well attended and received a good reaction from the local people. A copy of the report was also lodged in the local library in Gort for inspection.

The monitoring, analyses and study have been continued and the Minister of State has received a draft final report which is being examined by his officials. The report runs to eight volumes and includes approximately 50 large scale maps and other A3 size drawings which are incorporated in the report. When officials at the Office of Public Works have concluded their evaluation of these volumes there is a commitment to present the report at a public meeting in Gort similar to the one held in 1996. Because of the size of the document copies will not be freely available but a copy will be available at the public meeting to be arranged. A copy will also be lodged in the local library for inspection.

While the draft final report is in the hands of the Minister of State's officials, the economics have to be finalised. Financial commitments cannot be considered until an economic cost benefit analysis has been completed and the financial implications will be a matter for consideration with the Estimates on an ongoing basis.

I commend the Deputy, Deputy Michael Kitt and the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, for explaining to the people of the area what was involved and for being open and transparent. The Minister of State will act in a similar manner.