Fianna Fáil TD for Louth Erin McGreehan has welcomed the announcement of €50,000 in funding for Louth County Council to undertake minor flood mitigation works and studies aimed at addressing localised flooding and coastal protection issues across the county.
The funding forms part of a wider national allocation of €3 million announced to support local authorities in removing river conveyance blockages and expanding the scope of the OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.
The scheme provides funding to local authorities to carry out smaller scale flood mitigation projects and studies designed to tackle local flooding and coastal erosion challenges within their administrative areas.
Welcoming the announcement, Deputy McGreehan said:
“This funding will support the essential work being undertaken by local authorities to address localised flooding and coastal erosion problems across our communities.
“This allocation comes in addition to funding already committed to councils for interim coastal flood defences. It is another important measure that will help reduce the risk of flooding ahead of the winter months.
“We need to make preparations now before weather conditions inevitably deteriorate later in the year.
“I will continue engaging with the Council and the Department in the months ahead to ensure these works are carried out promptly and that communities are protected before we face another severe storm event such as Storm Chandra.”
Since the introduction of the scheme in 2009, approximately €70 million has been approved for 930 local authority led projects delivering flood mitigation and coastal protection measures for around 8,000 properties nationwide.
Revised criteria for the Minor Works Scheme have also been announced, significantly expanding the scope of the programme available to local authorities.
This includes an increase in the upper funding threshold for projects from €750,000 to €2 million and an increase in the OPW contribution rate from 90 per cent to 95 per cent for approved funding above €300,000.
For further information, reach out to Erin McGreehan.
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