South Galway (Gort Lowlands) Flood Relief Scheme

Galway County Council and the OPW are progressing a flood relief scheme for South Galway (Gort Lowlands) area and the required studies for adjacent upstream and downstream areas.

The intensity and duration of rainfall experienced in the six flood events of the last twenty years cannot be routed through the network of existing subterranean conduits to Galway Bay. The resultant uncontrolled overflow of the network is a cause of extreme annual concern to the residents and farming communities in the area. Many households and businesses were flooded in the most recent event and further households were at serious risk of flooding with many households reliant on sandbags and an enormous community effort to prevent flooding. In some cases these efforts extended to weeks.

This project involves the assessment and development of a flood relief scheme (a ’Scheme’) and other measures to manage the existing flood risk in Gort Lowlands, and also the potential for significant increases in this risk due to climate change, ongoing development and other pressures that may arise in the future.

Once the preferred flood relief option for the scheme has been determined and an outline design completed, the OPW will seek consent for the proposed scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Arterial Drainage Acts.  At this point, the scheme will be subject to a Public Exhibition in accordance with the requirements of the Arterial Drainage Acts, where the public’s view of the proposals will be ascertained.

Once the observations received from the public and statutory stakeholders as part of the Public Exhibition have been considered the scheme will progress through detailed design.  Once detailed design has been completed, the scheme will be presented to the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform for official Confirmation, prior to commencement of the construction stage.

The Construction phase of the project will be divided into two separate contracts. The flood relief works on the river/stream/flood channels are to be managed and undertaken directly by the Office of Public Works and flood relief works on the bridges/culverts structures are to be managed by the Engineering Consultant and undertaken by a Civil Engineering Contractor.