COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM / TEMPLEOGUE / FIRHOUSE / BOHERNABREENA AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, September 08, 2026

MOTION NO. 3

MOTION: Councillor Y. Collins

That this Council sets out details of the defences to hand to prevent flooding, in advance of the completion of the Whitechurch Stream Flood Alleviation Scheme, and in particular to protect the areas flooded earlier this year, including Grange Park, where residents no longer have flood insurance.

REPORT:

Currently on the Whitechurch Flood Alleviation Scheme, 75% of the overall flood defences have been installed with approx 80% of the defences completed at the Capri site. The installation of the flood gates at the culvert inlet opposite St Enda's Drive have been completed.

The boundary flood defence walls on the Capri site will be completed when the existing overhead electrical cables crossing in front of the site are undergrounded by the ESB. We have been informed by the ESB that this work is scheduled to commence mid-September.

The new precast access bridge at the Capri site is scheduled to be installed in November. This is based on the timelines currently being provided by the bridge manufacturer.

A telemetry unit is also being installed at the trash screen which will allow SDCC Engineers and Inspectors to receive instant alarms and view live footage of the water levels at the trash screen. This unit is expected to be installed and go live by mid to late September. As in all extreme rainfall and storm events, the river screen will be cleared prior to the commencement of the event by our SDCC maintenance crews. 

Where gaps exist along the Whitechurch Stream until the flood defences are fully installed and completed, interim protection measures will be put in place based on the level of warning issued by Met Éireann and though forecast tools such as the Irish Flood Integrated Communications System (IFICS), Metweb, and the European Flood Alert System (EFAS) which are used to inform us of flood risks and other meteorological information.

Specifically in relation to Grange Park, SDCC have recently carried out a full CCTV and cleaning of the surface water network drainage in the Grange Park area where issues regarding tree roots in pipelines have been identified. Remediation measures are currently being put in place to clear the affected areas of pipelines infiltrated by tree roots to ensure that the surface water drainage network is cleared.

We are also examining the installation of additional gullies along the Whitechurch Road in several locations, with some in advance of the Grange Park Road, which will provide additional drainage from the road network itself.

Potential additional long term measures are also currently being assessed and when they are confirmed as viable, are expected to be installed by mid 2027.