Ms Clare McGrath:

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak about the lower Lee Cork city flood relief scheme. The scheme involves the provision of new walls and embankments at the Curraheen, Glasheen, north channel and some parts of the south channel. It involves flow reduction on the south channel; the development of a detailed flood forecasting system; the development of optimised dam operating procedures for extreme events; and localised defences between Iniscarra and the city, where we are talking about a distance of 19 km; designation of upstream washlands – areas of agricultural land which will be temporarily flooded; flood gates and some footbridge and boardwalk locations; and localised surface water pumps. It will also involve channel clearing and maintenance at Blackpool, the removal of a pedestrian bridge at Orchard Court, the replacement of the roadbridge at Orchard Court and flood defence walls at Orchard Court. There is an alternative in that regard because following local consultation an issue arose about a wall that was not seen and there was a view that there should be a sealed culvert.