Tipperary flood relief scheme progressing despite six-year delay
A long-awaited flood relief scheme for Tipperary is progressing despite being delayed by six years, it has been confirmed.
Plans for the Nenagh Flood Relief Scheme have been discussed for years, with works originally due to start in 2020.
In the Dáil, Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O’Meara asked Public Expenditure and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Boxer Moran where the flood relief scheme for Nenagh was currently at, and if tender documents had been issued for the project.
In response, Minister Moran said that the scheme was more complex than first thought, and that Tipperary County Council was working with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to keep the scheme progressing.
"Tipperary County Council is leading the delivery of this scheme. The scope and complexity of the flood risk in Nenagh, to protect some 60 properties, has evolved, and the council in 2023 engaged with the Office of Public Works (OPW) to assist with the technical assessment required,” Minister Moran said.
"The OPW has recently completed preliminary site surveys and a steering group has been established to oversee delivery of the Nenagh Flood Relief Scheme,” he added.
Tender documents for the scheme are due to be issued by the end of quarter two of this year, the Minister added, despite documents originally being planned to be issued in Q1.
"Tender documents for the procurement of engineering and environmental consultants to progress the design of the flood relief scheme for Nenagh have been drafted, and pending final reviews it is expected that the tender documents will issue by the end of Q2 2026,” he said.
Last November, flooding forced the closure of a number of community amenities in Nenagh, including the leisure centre and the playground when the nearby river burst its banks.
In 2020, flash floods left several roads impassable and caused a partial roof collapse in the town.
The proposed Nenagh flood relief scheme aims to build a 480m embankment along the Nenagh River, as well as the replacement of culverts on Benedin Stream with a hydraulic control to limit flows downstream during flood events, and a flood forecasting unit on River Nenagh.
€2.6million has been given to Tipperary County Council by the OPW since 2009 for flood mitigation measures, with over 60 projects across the county under the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme, Deputy O’Meara was told.
After consultants are appointed to the project, they will be able to confirm a timeline for delivery of the scheme.