Published on 

Minister Hayes announces appointment of Consulting Engineers for Major Study of Flooding in South East

Minister Hayes announces appointment of Consulting Engineers for Major Study of Flooding in South Eastern River Basin District Catchment.

Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Department of Expenditure and Public Sector Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), today announced that RPS Consulting Engineers have been appointed for a major study in the South Eastern River Basin District (RBD) catchment.

Minister Hayes stated that “the study, the South Eastern Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) study, will identify and examine in detail the causes of flooding throughout the catchment and produce an integrated plan of specific measures to address the significant flood risk factors in a proactive and comprehensive way”.

The South Eastern RBD includes counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford and portions of counties Laois, Waterford, Tipperary, Kildare, Wicklow and Offaly. The study area contains Waterford City and a number of other large towns. Much of the study area is rural and used for agriculture.

The CFRAM study is part of a programme being undertaken by the OPW in line with current national flood policy and the EU Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risk, which requires that such studies be completed for each catchment by the end of 2015.

The commissioning of RPS is the third such commission awarded this year to carry out catchment studies under the CFRAM Programme. Earlier this year, RPS were also appointed to undertake a study of the Eastern catchment, which followed the appointment of Jacobs International to undertake a study of the Shannon catchment. Further studies will be commissioned under the programme during 2011, which will cover the remaining catchments to be studied.

Minister Hayes said “the study will examine all options to reduce flood risk, including both structural and non-structural measures, and will also consider related environmental issues. Structural measures that will be looked at could involve constructing flood defences or increasing conveyance capacity where appropriate, while the range of non-structural options that will be explored will include such measures as the introduction of flood warning systems. There will be full consultation with individuals and organisations that have an interest, ranging from property owners, recreational users, the farming community and environmental stakeholders.

I would urge all interested parties to contribute to the consultation process to ensure that the plan of measures that the study will produce will best represent their view of how flooding in the region should be addressed into the future”, the Minister stated.

The Minister concluded: “Pending the completion of the study, the OPW will continue to work with the Local Authorities involved to identify and implement interim small-scale flood mitigation works in areas at risk from flooding. In this regard, my Office has recently invited local authorities to submit applications for funding for minor flood works projects in 2011. The applications received are currently being assessed having regard to certain eligibility criteria and to the overall availability of financial resources for flood risk management.”