Laois Flood Relief Scheme for Mountmellick enters new phase

Progress on the long-awaited Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme has taken a step forward as Laois County Council has invited bids for the engineering work needed to build defences.

It has been eight years since flood defences were promised for Mountmellick after the town experienced severe flooding in November 2017 which saw millions of euros worth of damage to properties due to flood waters from the Owenass River and its tributaries. 

With the town prone to extensive flooding due to several rivers running through it such as the Barrow, Owenass, Pound, and Clontygar, the Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme is hoped to protect the area from future flooding. 

According to the Non-Technical Summary report which was published in September: "Generally, the proposed flood relief scheme comprises 10 continuous flood defences to defend properties from flooding from the Owenass River, Garroon Stream, Pound River and Clontygar River.

"The flood defences comprise a series of embankments with culverts and walls, one bridge (replacement Owenass Bridge) and one pumping station (subterranean precast storage tank, control panel kiosk and above ground gantry structure). There will be localised upgrades to surface water drainage around the walls, flow control measures on the Pound plus a diversion of the Clontygar Stream into a new stream channel to facilitate the works."

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Following the submission of the defence plans to An Coimisiún Pleanála and an extensive Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process initiated by Laois County Council in October (see previous story by Leinster Express / Laois Live), Laois County Council has now invited bids for tender for Phase 2 of the project.

In a report published by Laois County Council, Director of Services Simon Walton said that the council, in partnership with the OPW, have commissioned and completed Phase 1 of the scheme for a 1 in 100 years flooding event design scheme.

The report states: "During the analysis of the scheme design it has become apparent that there is a residual flood risk to additional properties when a higher design flood event is modelled with the 1/100 designed year scheme in place."

A contract is intended to be commissioned to advance and implement a flood relief scheme to mitigate against the residual risk element of the current 1/100 year scheme for Mountmellick.

The contract will be procured using one Consulting Engineering firm to progress both the Engineering and Environmental elements of this tender specification. 

The estimated value of the contract is €400,000 and its duration is 60 months. The competition for tender opens on 10 February 2025.

The Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme is currently with An Coimisiún Pleanála and approval is expected later in 2026.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme