Dublin’s flood protection has been further improved by the completion of the Dodder Flood Alleviation Works, Phase 1a, between Ringsend Bridge and London Bridge. Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley TD unveils a plaque to officially mark the completion of the works at 3 pm on Tuesday 26th May at the Conference Room, Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium. Minister of State at the Dept. of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Martin Mansergh TD will also be present.

Dublin City Council led the management of the €2 million project with the bulk of the funding and construction expertise coming from the OPW.

The works comprise mainly of flood protection walls and an embankment on the Dodder’s west side between Ringsend Bridge and London Bridge. These works complement flood protection at Stella Gardens on the river’s east side that were completed in 2003.

Minister Gormley says, "Like many in the Ringsend area, I still remember the extent of the suffering and destruction wrought by the flooding we experienced a number of years ago after the Dodder burst its banks. The completion of these new works will provide badly-needed protection to many residents living with the risk of flooding. We will need significant ongoing investment in such work to protect our capital city, especially those areas close to the coast and rivers, and I am committed to ensuring significant investment in this area for Dublin City Council and the OPW."

Minister Mansergh said he is “delighted to be attending the opening and would like to thank my staff at the OPW and the staff in Dublin City Council for their partnership and cooperation in completing this important public project.”

According to Dublin City Council’s Executive Manager (Engineering) Tom Leahy, “The project provides increased flood protection to Ringsend and the Lower Dodder. These works guard against a repeat of the record 2002 tidal flood and against a ‘one in 200 year tide’, including the best estimate of global warming, to the end of the century”.  I would like to thank everybody involved and compliment Dublin City Council, OPW and the project consultants Royal Haskoning on their significant inputs into this project.”

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Notes to Editors

Dublin City Council started the Dublin Flooding Imitative, encompassing the Dublin Coastal Flood Protection Project, following flooding in 2002. Most of the most critical flood protection measures are now in place: Royal Canal Dock on the Liffey, Merrion Gates, Tolka tidal works and now Phase 1a of the Dodder Flood Alleviation Works.

Dublin City has built a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence in flood risk management. This work was co-funded through the European Union particularly through the Interreg SAFER project and the Interreg IFloodResilienCity project. As a result of this European funding, Dublin developed an innovative tidal surge early warning system. Phase 1a of the Dodder works forms part of nationwide Catchment Flood Risk Assessment & Management Programme funded by OPW and a new Dublin City Council Flood Resilient City Project (Dublin City in combination with other partners in Europe).