Waterford to battle coastal erosion as climate change forces action
Waterford will be taking on the challenge of coastal erosion due to climate change for years to come.
Gráinne Kennedy, climate action co-ordinator with Waterford City and County Council, said that, long term, “we have to start thinking of how the coast might change.”
Some of that responsibility falls to the Office of Public Works (OPW), which ties in with the local authority.
“The dune protection that we’re working really hard on, in Tramore, that’s down to us,” she said. “I hope we don’t see people losing property, but you can see along the coast, already as it stands, there is land being lost.”
Officials in the roads department are assessing the impact on roads along the coast. The OPW issued a tender seeking consultants for a pilot study to assess which parts of the coastline – and how much of it – will be lost under the multiple effects of climate change.
Two pilot areas were chosen, including 42km of coastline around Tramore. The contract was awarded to Jacobs Engineering Ireland Ltd in December 2024 and work is due to be completed early this year.
At many council meetings, Sinn Féin councillor Pat Fitzgerald has raised concerns over coastal erosion. Erosion at the sea cliffs near Dunmore East could threaten farmland, homes and even lives into the future, he has warned.
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The council has undertaken various measures to combat the erosion, but nothing really tangible has been carried out. A part of the popular cliff walk between Dunmore East and Portally collapsed in late 2023.
“It’s ongoing,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “This year wasn’t as bad as most years, because the wet winters is where it really starts to show, especially on soft cliff face.
“Heavy rain plus wind. The rain saturates it and then the sea undermines it and then the whole thing collapses. We’ve had some big collapses up the estuary; we’ve had some quite extensive erosion.”
Reports have been carried out on the soft cliff face at Passage East, where some properties are under threat from coastal erosion. The council has referred the matter to the OPW, which says it can’t prioritise private property.
“It may take quite a while to get there, but one big storm could change everything,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “There are parts of the coastline here, especially around the sand dunes of Tramore [where] one big storm can rearrange the whole place overnight.
“It depends on the tides and wind speeds and wind directions. Generally this year hasn’t been as bad as most years, but we expect more wet winters to come. That is the danger.”
Some farmland up the estuary is prone to losing ground. In one case, a landslide five years ago carried about half an acre of good land into the sea – a portent of what is to come.
“For private landowners along the cliff edge, it’s a constant worry,” added Mr Fitzgerald.