Flood victims ‘living in fear’ over project delay

AS water levels continue to rise, South Galway residents are “living in fear” of a repeat of the devastating November 2009 flooding, a local county councillor has warned.
Councillor Bridie Willers, who was forced to move out of her own flooded home at Grannagh near Castledaly on November 19, 2009, for over three months, is becoming increasingly frustrated over the delay in securing official approval for the Dunkellin River and Aggard Stream Flood Relief Scheme.
Despite funding for six schemes totalling €554,000 under the OPW Non-Coastal Minor Works Flood Relief Schemes, the Office of Public Works still hasn’t sanctioned any money for the Dunkellin River Flood Relief Scheme.
Councillor Willers, who wasn’t able to return to her home until the end of February 2010, insists it “beggars belief” that three years on, money hasn’t been even allocated to the scheme.
Director of services, Frank Gilmore told a recent Galway County Council meeting he is optimistic that many of the obstacles could be overcome.
The Dunkellin Flood Relief Scheme has been delayed due to concerns expressed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) about possible impacts on the Rahasane Turlough Special Protection Area (SPA).
Acknowledging a lot of good flood-relief work has been completed by the council in other parts of South Galway, Councillor Willers says local residents are becoming increasingly worried as they watch water levels rising.
The Fine Gael councillor hadn’t any insurance on her home and had to finance all of the repair work. However, she didn’t opt to take part in the relocation scheme as she wanted to remain in her dwelling where three family generations have been raised.
Apart from the upheaval caused to about eight families, who were forced to leave their homes in South Galway, she said the flooding caused a lot of damage for farmers and blocked roads, leaving long tailbacks as motorists were forced to go on alternative routes.
“There was flooding in South Galway in 2001 and 2005 but we never had to move out of our house until 2009. Flooding has just got worse and worse. Every time there is a downpour, I can see water levels rising.
“Water does terrible damage to a house once it gets in. We had to stay out of the house for almost four months. You have to allow time for the drying out, aeration and rebuilding process.
“Even though our neighbours were hugely supportive, it is hugely traumatic to be forced to leave your own home. It would make a huge difference if we could divert some of the excess water coming off the Sliabh Aughty mountains into the Dunkellin River and Aggard Stream.
“Flood-relief solutions have been proposed as far back as 1997 but were turned down on a cost-benefit analysis basis. Action needs to be taken because we don’t want a repeat of the November 2009 flooding,” she said.
In a recent briefing for councillors, Galway County Council confirmed its engineering and environmental consultants are in continued liaison with the NPWS and are currently preparing and arranging to make a presentation on the Dunkellin River Scheme to various experts in the NPWS.
The purpose of this presentation is to outline possible impacts on the Rahasane Turlough SPA as well as the Galway Bay Complex SAC and the mitigation measures that will be put in place to eliminate or reduce the risk of any negative impacts.
It will take place at the earliest possible date and will assist the NPWS in their assessment of the proposed scheme in a positive way.
According to the council, the feedback from this presentation will inform the consultants together with their specialist sub-consultants and the council on how best to proceed with and finalise the scheme and the EIS to satisfy the requirements of the NPWS in particular along with other stakeholders before making a planning application to An Bord Pleanála.
“In the current economic climate, the benefit to cost assessment for the Flood Relief Schemes is likely to receive more scrutiny, which is also a significant risk to the scheme. Finalising this scheme has proved highly complex in engineering and environmental terms and it is hoped that the council will be in a position to submit the EIS to the Strategic Infrastructure Division of and Bord Pleanála at the earliest possible date,” the council stated.
The council has completed a substantial amount of channel maintenance works on stretches of the Dunkellin, Kilchrest, Kellysgrove, Mountbellow and Annagh Drainage Districts.
The OPW has refused funding for a minor works scheme for Ballinderren/Kiltiernan as the minimum benefit-to-cost criteria of 1.5 to 1.0 has not been met.
In a letter to the OPW, the council requested they reconsider this scheme as it has many benefits and to refuse a scheme on cost alone is very harsh given the history of flooding in this area.
The council has spent €351,000 on the reinstatement of culverts at Kiltartan, new culverts, improvements and cleaning out existing masonry arch bridge and associated works.
Another €55,000 was spent constructing a new culvert under a local road at Caherawoneen South, Kinvara, as recommended by JOD Report on the Review of South Galway Flooding.
The Coole/Kinvara Flood Mitigation Works include restoration works to include three new road bridge/culverts, associated road raising, regrading lands and replacing stone wall with post and wire fence at 20 locations.
The OPW had provided funding for the replacement and upsizing the existing culvert at Caherawoneen South, which is part of the overall scheme.