Flooding At Donabate

Question: Councillor C. O’Callaghan
“To ask the Manager if he will ensure that problems with flooding at the entrance to
Hazelwood and Barnewall estates, Beaverstown, Donabate are addressed, as this
has been causing difficulties for motorists and pedestrians entering and exiting their
homes?”

Reply:
The surface water gullies and pipelines at the location referred to have recently been
cleaned and are monitored on an ongoing basis. Occasional flooding, at this
location, can occur during heavy rainfall events due to capacity difficulties with the
existing surface water pumping station. In this regard an upgrade is proposed for this
existing pump station as part of a wider Donabate Surface Water Scheme in order to
cater for existing and new development on the peninsula. The existing pump at
Beaverstown, located in a flood plain, receives surface water from most of Donabate
Village and pumps these flows into a channel on the west side of the Dublin to
Belfast railway line which flows into Rogerstown Estuary. This channel also drains
the lands to the west. The pump functions well for most rain events but is unable to
cater for exceptional rainfall events, and actually cuts out as it is located at a low
level in the flood plain, i.e. the drainage channel upstream of the pump rises and
occasionally impedes surface water runoff on the Beaverstown Road crossing the
channel.

Water Services are currently progressing an interim plan to improve reliability of the
existing system which involves raising the level of the existing pump and installation
of a second pump, in a manner, consistent with the permanent solution. It is hoped
that this solution can be commissioned within the coming months. This should
ensure that the pumps will continue to operate through the most severe events and will reduce the frequency of flooding in the area.