Fermoy flood report due for completion in 1-2 months

The Flood Incident Report on the flooding at Brian Brou Square in Fermoy last year is ‘now in the final stages’ according to Cork County Council.

At the most recent Fermoy Municipal District meeting, confusion emerged as to whether Cork County Council or the Office of Public Works (OPW) were responsible for publishing the report on the cause of the flooding. The OPW at the time said that they were not preparing a report and that any report was the responsibility of Cork County Council.

A statement from Cork County Council issued late last week, seen by The-Avondhu, stated that the report is being prepared by Cork County Council in cooperation with the OPW. News that was confirmed by the OPW this week, as they acknowledged that a report was put together in collaboration with Cork County Council and that the OPW are now reviewing a draft Flood Incident Report.

“The report is due to be completed within the next 1-2 months,” an OPW spokesperson said.

NOW IN THE ‘FINAL STAGES’

One key element of the Flood Incident Report was the inspection of the pumping station by the original installers, which was arranged by the OPW and carried out in November 2021.

It is understood that the flood event occurred following a malfunction at the pumping station which saw water flood four businesses and one home in the town, in the area of Brian Boru Square.

“A draft report was received by OPW in early December and forwarded to the council’s team. There were some questions and clarifications in the following weeks. This element is now complete. The draft Flood Incident Report is now in the final stages and will be reviewed with OPW in the next few weeks,” the statement from Cork County Council read.

‘NOT FAIR ON FERMOY’

On Tuesday, the issue of the report was raised at Government level, as Cork East TD Seán Sherlock asked if a report would be provided in relation to the flooding.

According to Deputy Sherlock, the flood report should not take over 12 months, noting that there is a public interest in the matter.

“We are trying to represent the interests of the people of Fermoy who live within the floodplain, who are seeking justifiable compensation for damage to their premises.

“It’s not fair that people have to be kept waiting for this long. I will continue to pursue this issue and press the Government for the issuance of this report,” he added.

In response to the parliamentary question, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath stated: “Cork County Council is preparing a comprehensive report and intends to submit it to OPW for review prior to its finalisation.

“This Flood Incident Report will detail the flood event, causes of the flooding, lessons learnt from the event and what actions are required to mitigate against a future recurrence of this event. The majority of the investigative work is complete and a number of interim measures have already been put in place, with more upgrades to be carried out subject to final report recommendations.

“Cork County Council and OPW continue to collaborate and cooperate closely to progress the above report, which is due to be completed within the next 1-2 months,” the minister said.

INTERIM ADJUSTMENTS

In late January, Cork North Central TD Pádraig O’Sullivan requested that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform ask that the engineer’s report on the flooding incident be expediated and that the Minister make a statement on the matter.

Minister Patrick O’Donovan responded to the parliamentary question, stating that Cork County Council, with the support of the OPW, have been investigating the possible cause or causes that led to the flood event.

Pump house investigations were also noted by the Minister in his response, as he stated that the council engaged a contractor who regularly services the station and made ‘immediate interim adjustments’ following the flood event and serviced pumping stations to ensure systems were functioning correctly.

Cork County Council had engaged a specialist who has completed a ‘comprehensive diagnostic analysis’ of both Fermoy North pumping stations.

“This analysis is to determine what occurred in February and to establish if all the original pumping systems are functioning correctly (as designed), and to provide appropriate recommendations to rectify any outstanding issues,” he added.