Expert engineers to protect coast from global warming

Cork County Council has set up a specialist engineering department which will look at protecting its 1,100km coastline from the effects of storms and rising seas caused by global warming.

The county has one-sixth of the country’s coastline and some of its coastal infrastructure received a fierce battering last January and February.

County engineer David Keane has brought together seven engineers into one department who will initially concentrate on finalising in-the-pipeline coastal management and flood prevention projects. It’s hoped that some of their energies will be directed to guarding against the potential fall-out from rising seas caused by melting ice.

Mr Keane said it was his hope that they would look at the potential of rising seas and match them to OPW maps which would enable engineers to predict areas which could be under threat “and plan accordingly”.

“We can look at more prevention once we have dealt with the schemes we are currently involved with,” the senior engineer said.

Currently the engineers are having to deal with flood prevention schemes in Glanmire, Douglas/Togher, Crookstown, Skibbereen, Bandon and Clonakilty.

In addition they are finalising work on coastal protection works at Crosshaven, Rosscarbery, Garretstown, Heir Island, Ballydonegan beach, Garryvoe and at Belvelly bridge in Cobh.

More than €4.25m storm damage was done last January and February in Co Cork, mainly to coastal roads, piers, beaches and harbours. Mr Keane said he was confident the Government will reimburse the council the money it’s having to expend on these repair schemes.

Some people believe unusual patterns of heavy rain are also connected to global warming. Records were broken during the first three months of this year when 216% more than average rainfall fell at a monitoring station in Millstreet.