Council not satisfied with draft OPW report on Carrick-on-Suir flooding in 2015

Tipperary Co. Council is not satisfied the findings of the draft OPW report into the causes of the flooding that devastated Carrick-on-Suir in late December 2015, accurately reflects what happened, a senior Council official told councillors last week. 

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Director Pat Slattery said a letter was sent to the OPW last October outlining the Council's concerns about the draft report. 

Two letters and several phone calls later, the Council is meeting with OPW officials today (Thursday), April 5 to discuss the report. 

Mr Slattery was speaking at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District's monthly meeting during a discussion on the latest flood threat to the town that occurred during the torrential rainfall of March 14 and 15. 

Carrick-on-Suir Cllr Kieran Bourke (FF) had again raised the delay in the publication of the OPW report on the 2015 flooding incident in Carrick-on-Suir. 

He declared that the report should have been produced long ago and called on the Council's  officials to "force the hands" of the OPW to finalise it. 

Fellow Carrick-on-Suir Cllr David Dunne (SF) said he called for an inquiry into the flooding of Carrick-on-Suir two years ago and he was sorry he didn't push for the inquiry more at that time. 

Mr Slattery explained the Council wasn't happy with the OPW's draft report as it didn't accurately reflect what they felt happened on the ground. There was a "significant number of issues" the Council wasn't happy about, he added. 

Mr Slattery said he wrote to the OPW last October outlining the Council's concerns and sent another letter in January and was scheduled to meet OPW officials about the report on April 5. He said he was sorry the process was taking so long.