A feasibility report on the Gort Lowlands Flood Relief Scheme is due to be published later this month.

Independent TD Seán Canney has confirmed that the report is due for publication on Monday, February 22.

“The public consultation on the engineering options will commence on Friday, February 26, and will run until Saturday, April 3. This consultation will be an online consultation,” deputy Canney said.

“This project which I initiated when Minister for the OPW [Office of Public Works] will provide solutions to the flooding which has tormented the people in south Galway for decades.”

The video below by deputy Canney was taken during a recent trip to the area.

Initial designs

The Galway-East TD has said that the initial surveys and design work have found engineering solutions which are both “environmentally and economically viable”.

“Galway County Council [has] taken the lead with the OPW on this very unique engineering problem and [has] also engaged engineering experts and worked with Geotechnical Services Ireland (GSI) and Trinity College Dublin to develop models to find engineering solutions,” he added.

For the first time we have a potentially feasible solution identified to resolve the flooding issues of south Galway.

“Once the public consultation is complete the project will move to full design. Once the design is complete, we will move to the construction phase.

“The construction stage of the project will be divided into separate contracts with the river/stream/flood channels being managed and works undertaken by the OPW directly and the bridges/culverts structures will be managed by the consultants and undertaken by the civil engineering contractor,” the deputy said.

The south Galway area, and in particular Gort, has been subjected to numerous severe flooding incidents with the most notable being in 2009 and again in 2015.