Work to start next week on interim Bandon flood plan
Following those incidents in Bandon, the county council decided it would carry out some works to negate further risk prior to the completion of major flood relief works by the OPW.
Council chief executive Tim Lucey, county engineer David Keane, and West Cork divisional manager Clodagh Henahan met councillors yesterday to outline the planned works.
Following consultation with the OPW design team, the council has decided to put in 15 non-return valves at key locations around the town.
The local authority also plans to increase the height and length of the embankment at the Lidl car park and will organise an inspection of all drains in the area by Dynorod to assess their state.
Meanwhile, the OPW has said it has met all its targets so far in assessing tenders for contractors for the main €25m flood relief project and it envisages work will start on it by the middle of May.
Bandon and Kinsale municipal district chairman Fine Gael councillor James O’Donovan said he welcomed the interim works and thanked county council bosses for the time they had spent assessing the latest measures.
However, the interim works will not include dredging the river, which had been sought by a number of business people in the town. Inland Fisheries Ireland said it would not permit any dredging of rivers where major flood-relief works were being drawn up by the OPW. The bar also extends to dredging in Skibbereen, Clonakilty, and Glanmire.
Bandon has suffered two major floods since December as well as minor flooding in certain parts of the town.
Mr O’Donovan said the interim works will hopefully aid in preventing any major flooding, but acknowledged until the main OPW scheme is completed there will still be a risk.
He said he hoped business people in the town would welcome the interim works, but acknowledged they would not be completely satisfied until the main project is completed, which is likely to take around two years.
