CONSTRUCTION WORK is under way on a €20 million flood relief scheme in Carlow which is expected to alleviate perennial flooding of the town.
The project will take two years to complete and will create 100 temporary jobs according to Minister for the Environment John Gormley. The Flood Relief and Water Supply Improvement Scheme is being funded by his department, Carlow County Council and the Office of Public Works. The first phase involves building flood walls and embankments along the east bank of the river Barrow and the north bank of the river Burrin.
Carlow town has flooded three times in the past 12 months when the Barrow burst its banks causing road closures, significant traffic disruption, damage to homes and businesses and the evacuation of homes. Local TD and Minister of State Mary White said the scheme would also involve a major upgrade of the town’s “defective water mains” and “foul and surface water drains”.