College sues ESB for flood damage

UNIVERSITY College Cork (UCC) is suing the ESB for €18 million in damages following the devastating floods of 2009.

In the first significant legal action following the floods, UCC claims it sustained substantial damage to its property following a period of prolonged rainfall, when the ESB released millions of litres of water from its Inniscarra Dam on the River Lee.

The college claims the ESB was negligent and caused severe flooding by releasing too much water in too short a time from the dams. As a result of the ESB’s actions, UCC claims 30 acres of its 80-acre campus were submerged.