Call for Local Flooding Problems to be addressed

Cllr Peter Coyle has been to the forefront in calling for urgent action to address local flooding problems, particularly associated with the local rivers including:

Ø The Cuckoo and Moyne Rivers that impact on Balgriffin

Ø The Sluice River that impacts on Kinsealy, Old Portmarnock, and Portmarnock village.

Ø The Gaybrook Stream that impacts on Kinsealy Court and Malahide

The heavy rainfall last August and associated flooding highlighted the need for the urgent addressing of danger to people and properties. Fingal County Council in conjunction with The Office of Public Works (OPW) and Meath County Council, have recognised the high levels of existing flood risk in the Fingal East Meath area. Fingal East Meath Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study (FEM FRAMS) is now addressing this issue. The rivers Sluice, Cuckoo, Moyne and Gaybrook, their tributaries and their catchment areas will be included in this assessment and management study.

The FEM FRAM study and project will identify the flood hazards and risks to be addressed including both those that currently exist and those that might potentially arise in future. It will make recommendations in relation to appropriate development planning. It will also impact on decisions in the next 2011-2016 County Development Plan. Details of FEM FRAMS are available on the website: www.fingaleastmeathframs.ie.

Much of the flooding problems relate to poor 'Attenuation' systems. All new developments are supposed to and generally do comply with Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). In simple terms, this means that surface water drainage from a development should leave that development at a rate equivalent to that when no development was there....attenuation ponds etc are used to achieve this.

As far as Balgriffin is concerned, two rivers impact directly upon the area ...the Moyne and the Cuckoo. It should be noted that the Cuckoo River (a tributary of the Moyne) rises on the west of Dublin Airport, flows under/through the airport, down by Limekiln Lane, crosses the Balgriffin Road and joins the Moyne River on the south-eastern end of Castlemoyne. The Moyne River rises to the south of Dublin Airport. The Sluice River’s origins are associated with other tributaries like Kealy’s Stream and the Wad, which also originate near the Airport, and receive surface water from there.

Newer developments at Dublin Airport, like the new runway and other recent buildings are following SUDS.

The original 1028 runway, and associated aprons do not have attenuation, and in August last waters were pumped directly into the streams. This is directly at the opposite end of the SUDS spectrum! ....proving that more attenuation is required at the Airport (not just for new developments). The lack of proper attenuation contributes to flash flooding downstream.

Cllr Peter Coyle is Chairman of the Environmental Working Group reporting to Dublin Airport Stakeholders Forum. He has this issue under consideration by this Group as well as Fingal Co Council. The issue is very relevant if flash flooding is to be prevented in future.

Cllr Peter Coyle has called for more specific obvious work to be undertaken in the short term ahead of the completion of FEM FRAMS including:

• Proper storm water attenuation at Dublin Airport for the existing runways and apron areas, and hence reduce risk of flash flooding.
• Carrying out cleaning and widening of the rivers
• Review the Rural Village Plan (RV1) for Kinsealy, relating to developments in the flood plain

At Co Council meetings Cllr Peter Coyle has raised on a number of occasions the problems in the Moyne, Cuckoo, Sluice and Gaybrook catchments he has had assurance that:

“Arrangements are being made to liaise with the landowners concerned for the necessary cleaning works to be carried out”.

Negotiations are ongoing to review the attenuation systems at Dublin Airport. 

Cllr Peter Coyle has attended FEM FRAM workshops and highlighted the problems in catchment areas of the rivers.

Cllr Peter Coyle will continue to ensure that the flood risk management for the Moyne, Cuckoo, Sluice, and Gaybrook rivers will be properly addressed.