We’ve had a few near misses since the off-the-charts devastating floods this time 6 years ago. This is a snapshot of what was flowing through Michael Cahill’s farmyard at the time.
This project is vitally important for so many of the communities of South Galway. This isn’t a sprint (even though we’d like one) – it’s a marathon! In the wider context – the proposal of flood relief channels has been raised since the 1960’s and we’ve broken new ground on this. We’ve been waiting decades and now waiting 1-2 years seem that it’s ‘within reach’. It’s been very frustrating for many in the community as flood frequency and levels are causing serious impacts of people livelihoods and health. Where are we now exactly?
- Detailed analysis of the overall problem, flooding, levels, flows and connectivity, has been completed.
- A feasible solution has been identified (At a high-level) that matchs Cost-Benefit and environmental constrains. This is the emerging preferred scheme
- A highly engaging public consultation in 2021 has occurred despite Covid-19 challenges
- More precise engineering details are now been worked out – taking in Public consultation feedback, refining channel depths, finding out soil consistency etc.
- There are now more detailed field assessments and environmental surveys being carried out on the emerging preferred scheme to ensure that environmental aspects are fully considered.
That’s how far we have gotten until now. The main steps in 2022 (From recent Project Status report) :
- Complete all surveys/analysis/reports for the preferred scheme proposal with an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR)
- Final Public Consultation at the end of the 2022
That will then mean looking at Government and Ministeral approval in 2023 and hopefully that means we can kickstart then.
We all would of course have liked this yesterday but this project has been progressing through many challenges (from underlying complexity through Covid-19).
The main thing is that it is continuously progressing and we are heading in the right direction. All we can do is hope that this solution can be put in place before we get another devastating flood.
We would like to acknowledge the people with the teams working on this, from Galway County Council (Especially Enda Gallagher) and OPW, Ryan Hanley, Mott-Macdonald and our local Councillors monitoring this on a monthly basis.
Also, we would like to acknowledge the board support from landowners throughout this process.
Finally, this project wouldn’t be happening without the general support from the South Galway Communities. Every share, comment, like on Social Media does makes a difference in keeping this a priority and in focus. Thanks and please continue to support.
David Murray, on behalf of South Galway Flood Relief Committee
South Galway Floods 