COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

MOTION NO. 13

MOTION: Councillor P. Cosgrave

Cathaoirleach's Business

"That the Manager give a report on what engineering works can be done to stop flooding on the Owendoher River at Woodview Cottages Rathfarnham. The river overflowed causing flooding of houses 572 to house 602.  This is the second flooding in two years of the Cottages. I have asked at previous Rathfarnham Committee Meetings for work to be done on the Owendoher River to no avail. The Owendoher River flows  into the Dodder River near the Woodview Cottages. Work has been done to the  Dodder River by Dublin City Council in the last two years. There has been a flood warning on the Dodder River because of high tides, this would cause the Dodder River to back up and the Owendoher River would overflow again."

REPORT:

The final review of the Draft Dodder River CFRAMS (Catchment Flood Risk Assessment Management Study) will take place shortly between Dublin City Council who are the lead authority on this project with South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire County Councils and Consultants, RPS and the OPW. At this meeting SDCC will be proposing that an  earthern berm should be built along the banks of the Owendoher between the river and the Woodview Cottages in Rathfarnham to stop the flooding of the cottages at the lower end of this estate. The final draft of the Dodder River CFRAMS including flood maps will be going on public display before Christmas and there will be presentation to the two ACMs directly affected, Rathfarnham and Tallaght, and the SPC too. All comments and suggestions on the draft Dodder River CFRAMS document from Councillors and the general public will be incorporated in the final Dodder River CFRAMS which will have to be ratified by the full Council in the new year so that its recommendations can be implemented. This flooding incident has been notified to the OPW under www.floodmaps.ie.  

Dublin City Council has been carrying out works on the tidal part of the Dodder River for the last four years mainly in the Ballsbridge area but these works would have no affect on flooding in the Owendoher or the Dodder River in the Rathfarnham area. Basically the flooding of the Woodview Cottages is down to the sheer volume of rainfall that fell up to 90mm in one day on Monday, the 24th of October 2011 and their vunerable position at the junction of the Owendoher and Dodder Rivers but hopefully an engineering  solution will be found to overcome these flooding problems at the Woodview Cottages. SDCC sympathises with the people in houses 572 to 602 even and we hope to put a solution in place shortly to prevent flooding.