Revealed: The €50m defence plan to save Cork from flooding disasters

More controlled releases of water from ESB dams ahead of extreme weather events, and various structural changes in the city and suburbs, feature in a plan to save Cork from future flood disasters.

In the first clear picture of the measures that are likely to be undertaken to prevent further personal and economic damage from flooding of the River Lee and its tributaries, the Office of Public Works is today publishing the emerging, preferred option for a flood-relief scheme for the city, which is expected to cost at least €50m.

As well as efforts to prevent the kind of discharges from the ESB’s Inniscarra dam, 16km west of the city, that contributed to catastrophic flooding of Cork and its western suburbs in November 2009, a number of defences are also planned. These include: