COMHAIRLE CONTAE FHINE GALL
FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL
BALBRIGGAN/SWORDS AREA COMMITTEE MEETING
[Services A – Operational Matters]
Thursday, 14th May 2015
ITEM NO. 84
Flooding Lower Channel Road, Rush
Motion: Councillor B. Dennehy:
"This Committee calls on the Chief Executive to address the fluvial flooding issues on
Lower Channel Road in Rush by initiating an upgrade of the existing Storm Drain
pipe in the area, the capacity of which is inadequate to address the needs of the
area, also ensuring that the necessary pipe work is installed to adequately address
the growing volumes of surface water runoff from increased levels of rainfall due to
Climate Change, and that funding be sought as a matter of urgency to eliminate the
issue of flooding to homes in the area."
Report:
Fingal County Council along with Meath County Council and the Office of Public
Works recognised the existence of flood risk in the Fingal East Meath area. To
address this issue, the Fingal East Meath Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Study (FEM FRAMS), a catchment-based flood risk assessment and management
study of nineteen rivers and streams, and their catchments, along with the coastal
areas of Meath and Fingal, has been carried out.
Included in the assessment was the coastal area and the Rush West Stream in Rush.
The flood extent mapping produced shows flooding for the 0.1% Annual Exceedance
Probability (AEP) event or 1/100 event to lands and properties along the south
eastern end of Channel Road.
As part of the assessment the FEMFRAM study outlined possible options for the
solution to the flooding. At this location the FEMFRAMs options report determined
that the construction of a new 525mm diameter surface water drain parallel to the
existing culvert on the downstream end of the Rush West Stream would provide the
conveyance capacity required for the 0.1% AEP event.
This option would require the construction of approximately 250m of culvert at an
estimated cost of €600,000. This would improve the conveyance of fluvial waters in
the area, provide protection to the 25 residential properties and 2 non-residential
properties affected by fluvial flooding in the vicinity of Channel Road. This option
would not provide protection for the 17 residential properties at risk from coastal
flooding.
In order to be considered for OPW funding the benefit cost ratio (BCR) must be
greater than 1. In the case of the flood relief option outlined above, the BCR was
0.74. The FEMFRAM study did not recommend works to the culvert at this location,
which means that the OPW will not provide funding for this option. The Draft Final
Report advised that further analysis would be required to determine if a positive BCR
can be found.
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