Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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239. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of previous studies carried out by the Office of Public Works into flooding at Ballycar Lough, near Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, and proposals to carry out works to, or adjacent to, the swallow hole in order to increase the capacity to take the outfall from Ballycar Lough during periods of prolonged rainfall; if he will further provide details of any works carried out and costings for proposed works, together with the basis for any such costings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19527/14]

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) has not carried out or commissioned any formal studies into flooding at Ballycar Lough. A report was prepared in 2011 for Iarnrod Eireann setting out a number of possible measures to address this problem which primarily affects the main Ennis to Limerick railway line. A copy of this report was made available to the OPW.

The report identified as a preferred solution the provision of a piped culvert to increase the discharge from the Lough, with an eventual discharge into a back-drain system behind flood-defence embankments maintained by the OPW. The OPW has some concerns with this proposed option. This is a tide-locked area containing, amongst other things, some internationally critical low-lying transport infrastructure. The back-drain system can fill with water and, on occasion, it overflows onto the land when the tide prevents discharge through the embankment. The preferred solution identified in the report would increase the flow into the back-drain system and would therefore increase the flood levels when the system is blocked by the tide.

The report however did not consider the cost of measures that would be necessary to mitigate this risk. The option of raising the railway line must be considered as an alternative. The estimated cost of raising the railway line is only marginally higher than the cost of the solution preferred by Iarnrod Eireann. When the additional cost of implementing the further mitigating measures that would be required for the Iarnrod Eireann preferred option are taken into account, this tilts the economic argument in favour of raising the railway line.

The Office of Public Works has consistently stated that this flooding impacts primarily on the railway line, that the railway line would be the main beneficiary of flood mitigation measures and that it is therefore a matter for Iarnrod Eireann, as owners of the railway line, to resolve their problem.

I stated in the Dáil recently that the OPW will work constructively with the relevant parties to find a solution to the problem but that Clare County Council should take the lead in the matter. The OPW will participate in any meetings to be organised by Clare County Council with Iarnród Éireann, and the local community.