Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the question and for the opportunity to come to the House to speak on the matter of Crossmolina. I was down there on Monday - I will come to that later.

The River Deal downstream from Crossmolina is part of the River Moy catchment drainage scheme carried out by the Office of Public Works between 1960 and 1971 under powers set out in the Arterial Drainage Act 1945. As with other schemes carried out under the 1945 Act, the primary purpose was to provide outfall for the drainage of agricultural lands. The scheme also contributed significantly to reducing the flood risk in the urban areas it serves. The OPW continues to have statutory responsibility for maintaining completed arterial drainage schemes, including the Moy scheme, in proper repair and effective condition. In fulfilment of this responsibility, the OPW is responsible for the maintenance of over 11,500 km of channel, 730 km of embankments, 18,500 bridges and 750 ancillary structures such as sluice gates, pumping stations and tidal barges throughout the country. While the average cycle of maintenance is generally in the range of between four and seven years, the OPW routinely inspects all channels and structures for which it has maintenance responsibility. The timing of the work on individual projects is determined having regard to the need of regular maintenance and the prioritisation of urgent jobs. Maintenance work is carried out in accordance with OPW environmental management protocols and standard operating procedures which have been developed to minimise the potential environmental impact of the operations.

The original scheme for the Moy catchment was designed to cater for all arterial channels which could be included within reasonable cost limits and which would be practical from an engineering point of view. The legal responsibilities of the OPW in respect of the maintenance of the Moy catchment are limited to the arterial drainage scheme as confirmed by the Minister for Finance under the 1945 Act and as certified to have been completed. The OPW has no authority to carry out maintenance work in channels such as those upstream of Crossmolina that are not part of the scheme.

The Senator will be aware that apart from the responsibilities of the Moy catchment drainage scheme, the OPW is currently engaging in the development of a flood relief scheme for the town of Crossmolina. I am altogether aware of the extent of the damage there. I have visited the site. Since I come from Galway, where there has been extensive flooding, I understand well the suffering in Crossmolina as a result of recent and previous flood events. Moreover, I understand that flooding continues to be an ongoing threat to people and businesses in the town.

A public information day was held in the town in June 2014 to present an emerging preferred solution which involved flood defence walls in the town and raised parapets on the bridge. Since then, consultants have been working to finalise the design scheme and the environmental impact statement with a view to being in a position to bring the outline scheme forward to formal exhibition at the earliest possible date. However, new information relating to the bridge became available to the consultants which led them to conclude that the bridge was not sufficiently structurally sound for the purposes of the scheme and would need to be replaced. This would involve significant additional cost. While not affecting the overall economic feasibility of the scheme, it requires the options to be re-evaluated, including the option of diverting the channel.

A review of the options will also take into account the most up-to-date hydrological data and other relevant information arising from the Storm Desmond flood event, which recorded the highest ever levels on the river. To assist in the re-evaluation process, a hydrological assessment is under way to assess the local karst regime. It is critical to understand the nature of the karst drainage system and its relationship with surface water drainage before the diversion option can be brought further. It is likely that the assessment will take at least until the end of 2016. The options report will be finalised on completion of these investigations. While this has meant a delay to the scheme, the most important point is that the best possible solution is found for the town flooding problem.

A further public information day was held on 8 April outlining this information to the public. If the survey confirms that the diversion option is feasible and if design work on the option progresses satisfactorily, a public exhibition of this option is likely in the second quarter of 2017. In the event that the diversion option does not prove to be feasible, then the original option of walls and bridge replacement could be progressed at an accelerated rate since considerable work on this has already been completed. The public exhibition of this proposal could happen possibly in the first quarter.

If the proposed scheme is acceptable locally, it will then move to the detailed design stage, which will be followed by the formal confirmation stage, as requested under the Arterial Drainage Acts. As an interim measure to help mitigate any further flood damage and pending the completion of the flood defence scheme, the OPW and Mayo County Council are working together on a pilot project of individual property protection. The council has carried out a survey of households and has received expressions of interest from 60 homeowners for the installation of flood gates. The OPW hopes to appoint consultants shortly to undertake surveys of individual properties to determine their suitability for floodgates. This work will be funded through the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme. In addition Mayo County Council is also preparing a flood emergency plan for Crossmolina.

In addition to meeting the people there last Monday, a further meeting will take place today involving Inland Fisheries Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Mayo County Council and the Office of Public Works to determine what works can be carried out upstream and to come up with a solution. That is the best I can do, because changing Acts will not happen today. I await the outcome of that deliberation today. I assure the House that the OPW remains fully committed to delivering an effective flood defence scheme for Crossmolina and has included provisions for the costs of this scheme in its multiannual profiles for the period 2016 to 2019.