Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

I am replying to this matter on the adjournment on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, who is abroad on Government business.

The Minister of State and his officials in the OPW are aware of the current level of flooding in the Shannon callows. While winter and occasional summer flooding is a feature of the callows, severe flooding of the kind experienced at present is not. The current exceptional flooding is due to the unusually heavy rainfall which we have experienced in the month of May. Rainfall this month may prove to be the highest May rainfall on record.

The Office of Public Works has no responsibility for the maintenance of the River Shannon. It is open to the commissioners under the provisions of the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 and the Arterial Drainage (Amendment) Act 1995 to prepare a scheme to prevent or substantially reduce flooding in an area. The possibility of undertaking an arterial drainage scheme for the River Shannon has been considered on a number of occasions and has been ruled out on economic and environmental grounds.

In 2003 the Commissioners of Public Works undertook a further preliminary assessment of the Shannon flood problem. This assessment reviewed the previous reports and their conclusions in the light of the changes that had occurred in the catchment in the intervening 40 years. The review considered a variety of issues, such as conditions in the river, competing uses of the river, perceived changed climate patterns, changed agricultural regulations and practices, different economic circumstances for agriculture and other industries, the higher values being placed on environmental and heritage assets, as well as tourism opportunities, to establish if the possibility existed that a more detailed study might identify viable options to alleviate the flooding problem. It recommended that a pre-feasibility study of possible flood risk management opportunities should be undertaken. That study was completed in late 2004 and copies were given to the stakeholders.

The study concluded that the application of non-structural measures appeared to offer the best way forward. This would include the identification of flood risk areas and the development and implementation of a flood warning service, within the context of a catchment-based flood risk management planning framework. The plan would be developed under the umbrella of a lead agency, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and would set a long-term strategy for management of flood risk within the Shannon catchment.

The Office of Public Works intends to prepare catchment flood risk assessment and management plans for all river basin districts, including the River Shannon. This is a substantial programme of work and will take a number of years to complete. The commissioners are in the process of commissioning consultants to undertake a pilot study of the lower Lee catchment. It is not possible at this point to say when the study of the Shannon will commence.

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