It is hoped a much needed flood relief scheme for Kilkee will alleviate overflow from the Victoria Stream and help protect 134 properties including 118 homes.
The scheme, which is now at the planning stage is the first of two planned schemes for the town, and work is separately continuing on design for a scheme to manage the risk from coastal flooding in the town.
The Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Kieran O’Donnell (FG) announced this week that his office has given the approval to Clare County Council to submit a planning application for the Kilkee scheme.
The design consists of the construction of new flood defence walls, embankments, box culverts and open channels along the Victoria Stream and Well Stream, combined with a channel diversion and the creation of flood water storage areas along the Victoria Scheme.
The scheme is the outcome of detailed engineering analysis, environmental assessments and engagement with the public on the sources of flooding from Kilkee’s rivers and streams, and the options to protect the town.
As part of the pre-planning public consultation, Clare County Council displayed a draft set of drawings for the scheme as well as a number of reports at the Sweeney Memorial Library in the town from February 26 to March 6 this year.
There had been several instances of flooding in Kikee in the past, including during the winter storms of 2014 which caused damage to both the seawall and promenade, and improvements were required to the flood defence regime in order to prevent such flooding re-occurring.
The Victoria Stream overflows its banks over a length of 200 to 300m on an annual basis, and this has caused flooding of Church Street and Well Road thus putting many properties at risk. Another major watercourse, the Atlantic Stream also flows through the town, and both watercourses are tidal meaning the town is susceptible to both coastal and fluvial flood risk.
And so in 2018, following national government’s introduction of flood risk management plans, Clare County Council with funding from the OPW, appointed engineering and environmental consultants JBA/JB Barry to review the Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) study of 2012 and design an appropriate flood relief scheme for Kilkee. The CFRAM programme completed in 2018, is regarded as the most in depth study ever undertaken on flood risk in Ireland because it studied flood risk for two-thirds of the national population from rivers and the sea.
Locally, former county councillor, Cillian Murphy (FF) welcomed the news describing the scheme as a “major piece of capital infrastructure” for the town.
He also paid tribute to the project management team at Clare County Council for getting the project to this point saying the amount of work they had done in terms of community engagement was “second to none”.
Minister O’Donnell in a statement acknowledged the support from the Kilkee community describing their support as “valuable” to inform the design of a scheme for its town. He added he hoped the scheme will help protect the 134 properties including 118 residential and families at risk from flooding.
The Government says it is investing some €120m to manage the flood risk across County Clare. Flood Relief Schemes are already in place in Ennis, and Sixmilebridge. A €5m flood relief scheme at Springfield is nearing completion and will protect 21 properties. Flood relief schemes are also being progressed for Shannon, with planning application expected in the first half of 2025. And Clare County Council is preparing tenders to employ technical engineering and environmental services to progress flood relief schemes for Bunratty and Kilrush.
The cost of constructing the proposed scheme will be met from the Government’s commitment to managing Ireland’s flood risk through the €1.3bn for flood relief measures set out in the National Development Plan 2021–2030 (NDP). The Kilkee flood relief scheme is a result of the NDP investment that has enabled the OPW, in partnership with the local authorities, to progress this work. In addition, the OPW has approved €3.8m to Clare County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for localised flood relief works across 42 other locations in the county.
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.