Everyone remembers when Sallins flooded in 2009 but whilst most people will recall the urban flooding at “The Waterways” in Sallins village, it gathered less media attention that rural townlands were flooding at the same time just a mile or two out the road. The areas of Killeenmore and Turnings were especially hit but also Castlewarden and unfortunately surface flooding on the N7 around there remains a familiar sight after a heavy rainfall. I was onsite with the residents during those floods back in 2009 and 2010 (see here) and have continued to liaise with the local committee since as a solution has evolved. Thankfully we are nearing the end of that journey and plans for a new flood relief scheme to mitigate all along the Morrell river basin were unveiled in the council offices last month. You can view the detailed designs at this link here and the council are accepting submissions until the end of November.

Separately The Waterways external flooding issues were thankfully sorted in 2012 (with a serious €1.5 million culvert upgrade scheme put in place) and I have been working with the council, the Waterways management committee and other stakeholders on the final challenge of surface water drainage (e.g. keeping the underground car park from over-flowing). A solution may be finally in sight there too.