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Launch of Government National Flood Risk Policy
Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief publishes Flood Risk Management Plans and announces €257 million for 50 New Flood Relief Schemes, as part of a Ten-Year €1 billion Programme of Investment in Flood Relief Measures.
Speaking in Athlone on 03rd May 2018, launching a ten-year programme of €1 billion in investment in flood relief measures the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works & Flood Relief, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran T.D., in the presence on An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D., announced a first tranche of €257 million in funding for 50 new flood relief schemes to proceed to detailed design and construction.
The Minister has launched a culmination of six years of detailed engineering assessment of 80% of our flood risk through the Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme.
The 300 communities studied, include 90 coastal areas and are home to 3 million people or almost two thirds of our population. While CFRAM assessed flood risk in all our large urban areas, approximately one quarter of these communities had populations of less than 500 people.
The overall approach of how best to address the assessed flood risk is set out across 29 Flood Risk Management Plans – one for each river basin.
The evidence highlights that 95% of the 34,500 properties at significant risk from flooding (the 1 in 100 year flood) can be protected with flood relief schemes. The Plans identify that this can be achieved through the 75 schemes currently complete or ongoing and the 118 new schemes identified. These are to be delivered over the lifetime of the National Development Plan 2018 – 2027 and today work is starting to progress 50 of these (118 schemes) to detail design.
The Flood Risk Management Plans build on significant investment on flood defence schemes, since 1995, which has delivered 42 major flood relief schemes around the country. These schemes successfully provide protection to 9,500 properties and the economic benefit to the State in damage and losses avoided are estimated at €1.9 billion. There are currently also 9 major schemes under construction and a further 24 at design/development which together will provide protection to a further 12,000 properties.
With today's announcement, the OPW and local authorities have completed or are now working on relief schemes to protect 8 out of 10 of those properties assessed to be at risk.
The Minister has also launched a new website www.floodinfo.ie to provide access to the Plans and Maps developed by the OPW and information on flood risk management in Ireland. Through the interactive Flood Plans Viewer, you can view a summary of the flood risk management measures as set out in the Plans. The Flood Maps Viewer allows you to access flood mapping data for the areas assessed.
Through the publication section of this website you can access a range of information including county summaries of measures, in place, underway and now proposed by the Plans.
Also attached for your information:
· Managing Flood Risk in Ireland - A short 2 page summary of how the OPW is leading a proactive and whole of Government response to flooding in Ireland.
· An infographic that summarises the CFRAM Study, Government investment to date and the €1bn programme of investment for the coming decade.
· Implementing the National Flood Risk Policy, A Report on Measures in Place and Proposed to Address Ireland's Flood Risk. Appendix F of this report provides a short guide to the measures to address significant flood risk for each of the 300 studied communities.
· A copy of the Minister's Press Release that has the details of the 118 additional schemes identified by the Plans and the 50 schemes being progressed to detailed design and planning.
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