Monthly update on Gort Lowlands flooding project to be given to key stakeholders
Construction on the mammoth project is not likely to begin before mid-2029 – 14 years after much of South Galway was under water, driving dozens of families from their homes, closing roads for months and leaving many farms out of action for much of the year.
By Denise McNamara
The engineer tasked with delivering the most complex flood relief scheme in the State's history has committed to providing a monthly update on the timeline for all remaining elements to be undertaken before the application can be lodged – now expected to be next October at the earliest.
Construction on the mammoth project is not likely to begin before mid-2029 – 14 years after much of South Galway was under water, driving dozens of families from their homes, closing roads for months and leaving many farms out of action for much of the year.
Project engineer Enda Gallagher said the monthly spreadsheet detailing whether particular milestones had been reached would be sent to councillors, the two ministers involved, Galway politicians and the South Galway Floods Committee amid criticism of successive delays and slippage on timelines due to the environmental complexity of the scheme.
The draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) is due on November 16 and the Biodiversity Chapter and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) expected on December 4.These would be reviewed by Galway County Council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) and any revisions completed by February 11 next year.
The EIAR, NIS and the remaining project documents will go to the OPW for final approval in March 2027, with final approval expected in June 2027.
Only then is the planning application prepared, now scheduled to be lodged in the final quarter of 2027.
Planning consent and detailed design are expected to take a further year, with construction set for mid-2029.
Cathaoirleach of Loughrea Municipal District, Geraldine Donohue (Ind), had organised a round table meeting attended by OPW Minister Kevin 'Boxer' Moran and Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney last month with Galway County Council, the OPW, area councillors and TDs and community stakeholders.
She welcomed the monthly update on timelines, saying “every shower of rain strikes the fear of God into everyone”.
David Murray, chair of the South Galway Floods Committee, said it was imperative the dates are committed to, tracked and pulled in - because the next flood may be around the corner.
“One of our main asks was that we have a snapshot of a schedule now, and we want monthly updates on this schedule as we proceed through the final stages of the planning, and the preparation for planning."
The project, which involves building an overflow channel to carry excessive water, crosses 475 square kilometres of karst landscape, with turloughs, underground rivers and swallow holes, crossing 12 EU-designated special areas of conservation. It's regarded as the most complex flood relief project ever undertaken in Ireland, if not all of Europe, due to the vast underground water network.
If it gets approval and is completed, the Gort Lowlands South Galway Flood Relief Scheme will provide protection to 115 properties, 50 of which are residential and 65 commercial.