opwmatters
River Poddle Flood Alleviation Scheme Steve Jones,
Engineer (Flood Relief Design Section)
The River Poddle rises in Cookstown in Tallaght and travels in a north-easterly direction towards Dublin City. It is mainly open channel until it reaches the Grand Canal at Griffith College where it is culverted for 4km and travels beneath the city under Donore Avenue – Newmarket – St. Patricks Cathedral – Dublin Castle and The Olympia Theatre before discharging into the River Liffey.
The Issue There is a history of both fluvial and pluvial flooding, from the river and the drainage network, on the Poddle over the last 30 years. One event in 2011 resulted in significant flooding in Crumlin and Harold’s Cross and the tragic death of a nurse on Parnell Road. The urbanised and constricted nature of the channel in many locations makes flood risk management challenging.
The Remedy OPW in conjunction with South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council and Nicholas O’Dwyer Consulting Engineers have completed preliminary design and reached a significant milestone when a submission was made to An Board Pleanála in 2020. The proposed scheme is designed to provide protection against a 100-year fluvial flood event (1% AEP), will protect approximately 860 residential and 61 commercial properties and will be constructed by OPW direct labour. South Dublin County Council and Dublin City Council are in tandem to correct issues with the drainage network to further protect properties from pluvial flooding.
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