Bagged rock to defend Quilty

ONE thousand tonnes of bagged rock and sand is to be used as an interim emergency flood defence barrier at Cloughaninchy, Quilty, in advance of a spring tide in a couple of weeks.

Clare County Council is providing the material in one tonne bags to alleviate the risk of flooding on February 3 when the spring tide is due to reach 4.8metres.

The local authority is investing €50,000 in the emergency project, which it says it will seek to recoup from any future funding allocation from Government.

The flood defence works are also required along the Seafield coast in response to fears that up to 15 homes could experience flooding.

Recent storms caused significant coastal erosion at Cloughaninchy, leaving private residential properties exposed to severe sea water flooding.

The O’Connor family had to be evacuated from their home during the worst night of the new year flooding.

Cloughaninchy is already the subject of a funding application submitted to Government by Clare County Council. The local authority is seeking €2,581,250 to undertake permanent coastal protection works over an 800 metre stretch of coastline as well as repairs to a road, sewage pumping station and bridge, all damaged by recent flooding.

Clare county manager, Tom Coughlan has informed the Department of the Environment of the local authority’s plans to proceed with emergency flood defence works.

In a letter to Seán Hogan, who is national director for Fire and Emergency Management at the Department of the Environment, Mr Coughlan said that the council has undertaken a survey of the levels of coastline and it appears that the level of the high tides which are due in early February may exceed the height of the shoreline, which has been reduced as a consequence of the storms. 

“Such an occurrence, without the benefit of interim defence works, would probably result in flooding of private residential properties which have already suffered flooding earlier this month,” the letter stated.

“The only apparent possible defence to this undesirable flooding event is the construction of coastal protection over a length of approximately 800 metres. It is not possible, for a number of reasons, to construct a permanent protection of rock armour at this time.  However, in order to attempt to provide an interim defence, Clare County Council is proceeding with the construction of a temporary barrier of bags of material and other works along the shoreline. This temporary barrier will be constructed on the private properties along the shore and an agreement has been entered into between the landowners and the council to facilitate the necessary works,” the county manager added.

Mr Coughlan futher stated that Clare County Council has not made financial provision for this emergency work but felt that the local authority had no option but to make every effort to safeguard the properties at Cloughaninchy.

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