Investigation into water management in Lee Valley

MINISTER FOR the Environment John Gormleysaid there would be an investigation of water management in the Lee Valley in the wake of the unprecedented flooding in the south.

Mr Gormley was responding to calls by Minister of State for Trade Billy Kelleherand by Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hoganfor an independent outside investigation following the release of water from the Inniscarra dam.

Mr Hogan said this was “no 800-year event. This is an event that no weather could actually explain. The dam was overloaded in Inniscarra and the question must be asked why.”

Mr Hogan noted media reports that the ESB was warned in three separate reports that the two strategic Cork reservoirs could be unable to cope with extreme water volumes. He asked for clarity on the reports and warnings.

Mr Kelleher, in whose Cork North Central constituency the flooding did extensive damage, said the investigation “is not about blaming. It’s about ensuring that this does not happen again.” With “forward planning and a bit of foresight, I genuinely believe a lot of these issues could have been avoided”.

They were speaking during the Dáil debate on the floods in which Minister of State for the OPW Martin Manserghannounced that the office would shortly tender for a "strategic review of the costs and benefits of a national flood warning system". They would commission flood risk assessment and management studies for all river catchments and a Lee catchment study was currently under way.

Dr Mansergh also said “we should stop tarmacking everything including yards, drives and gardens and do it a lot more selectively”.

Mr Gormley defended the response to the devastating floods as the Opposition claimed a lack of preparedness, lack of communication and claims of a failure to respond to previous floods.

Mr Gormley said: “Government is not responsible for the rain that has fallen or the resulting floods but we are responsible for the fact that our services prepared carefully, diligently and consistently, and [the] multi-agency response at both local and national level.”

But “most important of all, there has been no loss of life associated with these floods”. He said the authorities had responded effectively to the major emergency plan developed in 2005.

The “current flooding and other recent flooding events sharply illustrate the questionable nature of some development decisions in the past and underline the necessity for action to avoid such developments in locations in which future flooding is predictable”.

New planning and flood risk management guidelines would be published shortly.