As work begins on interim flood defence works in Enniscorthy some are questioning whether €1.4m represents value for money

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Although €1.4m is to be spent on interim flood defence measures in Enniscorthy and Bunclody, questions are now being asked as to whether these works represent value for money.

At the monthly meeting of the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD) senior engineer Neil Dempsey confirmed that works on Abbey Quay in Enniscorthy were to commence in the coming weeks and that contractors had already been appointed.

However, Councillor Jackser Owens wished to know what those works entailed and whether they would provide any protection for those still dealing with the aftermath of Storm Chandra which decimated Enniscorthy in late January.

“There will be flood barriers erected, the raising of walls, the construction of earth banks, a mix of measures,” explained Mr Dempsey. “This won’t prevent a flood on the scale of what we saw earlier this year, but it will stop the lesser floods we have experienced here, and it will stop water coming back up through the sewerage system.”

“If it’s not going to stop the big floods is it worth €1.4m?” asked Cllr Owens. “I’ve been in people’s houses where there’s water in the walls.”

Aerial view of flooding in Enniscorthy during Storm Chandra. Credit: John Michael Murphy, Seanchai Productions Ltd.

Aware of the cases Cllr Owens was referencing and that residents on Island Road had fared worst than most during flood events in Enniscorthy, Mr Dempsey said the council was exploring ways to relieve the stress felt by those who spent every winter fearing the worst.

“Things like the non-return valves will help, if businesses had them in 2021 they wouldn’t have flooded,” he said. “The water went back up through the drains and flooded Island Road that time.

“People have to realise that we can cut off the water at a certain position, but water is pressurised so it could be diverted to another unknown location, it’s a case of trialling it and seeing how we go; other locations could become an issue as we progress the works.”

While the interim works are expected to be completed in time for the winter, the larger flood defence scheme for Enniscorthy remains in the planning stage. And Cllr Owens just hoped that it wouldn’t be thwarted by a species which has already laid ruin to one flood defence project in the town.

“People are the priority, the environment is second,” he noted. “We can’t allow the freshwater pearl to delay the full floodwater scheme for Enniscorthy again (a previous application was rejected due to the presence of the mussel in the River Slaney). I have never seen a freshwater pearl.

“Meanwhile, human beings are being flooded, and businesses have been wiped out.”