ESB 'vastly underestimated' discharge of water in Cork

ESB flood alerts in Cork vastly underestimated the volume of water discharged from the Inniscarra Dam, according to a report on the city's flooding presented to councillors last night.

The report shows that the ESB issued four flood warnings to Cork City Council on November 19.

However the company released almost twice the amount of water from the dam than its final warning to the council indicated.

The report shows that the ESB issued four flood warnings to Cork City Council on November 19.

At 11.30am on that date, the ESB advised that the discharge level would be 150 cubic metres per second. That evening, it told officials that 450 cubic metres per second was being released.

The next day, ESB personnel confirmed that the water discharge in fact reached 535 cubic metres per second.

The ESB has defended its handling of the situation and said it would be cooperating with a review announced by the Government.

Meanwhile, the report also indicates that preventing major flooding in Cork city in the future will cost €23m.

In a report on the recent flooding crisis, city manager Joe Gavin says the council evacuated 100 people from affected areas and removed 80 tons of damaged household items when the flood waters receeded.

He also recommended that the Lee Road waterworks be upgraded at a cost of €18m and that the city's two seperate water plants be interlinked, adding another €3m to the bill.

All the bridges and quay walls in Cork are to be examined for damage and the breaches in the quay walls at Grenville Place and the Sunday's Well road need to be rebuilt.