Council hopeful of receiving ‘most, if not all’ funding for emergency flood defence works in Enniscorthy
Senior executives at Wexford County Council (WCC) believe they will get “most, if not all” of the funding they have requested for interim flood defence works in Enniscorthy.
While the main flood defence scheme for the town remains in the planning stage, WCC has recognised the need for temporary measures to safeguard Enniscorthy from the widescale flooding it experienced in January.
And, at the March meeting of WCC, director of services Eamonn Hore revealed that a recent meeting with Minister Kevin ‘ Boxer’ Moran had given the strongest indication yet that funding for these temporary measures would be forthcoming.
“We made a presentation to him and his officials, they took on board everything we said and said we need to submit a formal proposal, fully costed, so that’s what we’re doing,” said Mr Hore. “The impression I got from the meeting is we will get most, if not all, of what we’re asking for. This would include Bunclody, Bridgetown, and Enniscorthy; we also adressed the serious issue of erosion in Rosslare Strand and got a reasonably good hearing on that as well.”
The interim works would include an aqua dam being placed at Shannon Quay and the construciton of an earth bank around The Waterfront Pool & Leisure Centre.
Under the council’s proposals, the wall on Abbey Quay would be raised by approximately 300mm with demountable barriers installed at the pedestrian gaps; there would also be pump sumps (designed to collect unwanted groundwater, seepage, or rainwater) on both Abbey Quay and Shannon Quay.
The Promenade would be protected with an aqua dam and an earth bank while WCC is also exploring the possibility of erecting electronic information signs on the Quay with real-time updates on the status of the River Slaney.
After Councillor Barbara Anne Murphy requested a timeline for the works, Mr Hore said the next step will be to submit a formal request to the Office of Public Works (OPW) and that his department “are preparing those documents for submission”.