Measures aimed at tackling Waterford's severe flooding problems were announced yesterday by the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Mr Martin Cullen.
But it will be more than a year before the necessary steps are taken as the cause of the flooding has yet to be identified by the OPW and the work will be subject to an environmental impact assessment.
A feasibility study carried out by the OPW has identified a number of likely solutions, including strengthening and raising the level of the quay wall at Scotch Quay and the adjacent George's Quay, one of the areas worst affected by frequent flooding of John's river.
A flood wall at Poleberry and drainage and sluice works in the Tramore Road area, which have been also been badly hit, are also proposed. However, Mr Cullen said the study recognised that such local solutions would not cater for future development of the city, and an "integrated solution" to the problem would have to be found.
This would involve either regrading John's river to increase flow capacity, which essentially means making it wider and deeper, or constructing a tidal exclusion structure where the river meets the Suir at Scotch Quay.
The next step would be for the OPW to carry out a "flood study" to determine the cause of the flooding and the extent to which high tides and high river flows, and their interaction, were responsible.
As any measures taken are likely to impact on the Kilbarry marshes in the city, a one-year environmental impact study - to take account of the four seasons - will have to be undertaken as part of the process. The proposed scheme will also be subject to a statutory public exhibition process to allow the public to make its views known to the OPW.
The areas concerned have been affected by flooding for many years, the most recent of which were experienced last winter. Mr Cullen said he had seen the traumatising effects regular flooding could have on individuals and he hoped the problem would soon be "a thing of the past".
