2026-01-29

The recent Storm Chandra has caused chaos and disaster across the State. It shows the issues we are dealing with, and the need to make sure we have all the mitigations and flood protections in place that we possibly can have. I will deal with some specific issues in Dundalk and particular parts of Dundalk. I first want to commend the local authority staff, particularly those who were out dealing with these issues, and those in the fire service who were out for hours. I know that third parties were brought in with regard to the use of tankers, and they did vital work to ensure people were not flooded. In saying that, a huge number of people were in a very precarious scenario. We have already been through a yellow storm warning, with the possibility that we could face the same again. A yellow storm warning is in place, and I am told the storm is due sometime between Friday at 9 a.m. and midnight on Saturday. Because everything has been so waterlogged, and because the infrastructure is so backed up, my fear is that we could be in a similar circumstance, particularly in Dundalk. I have dealt with a huge number of people who have had flooding around their properties, in some cases where the water has come directly into the house. I still say we have been very lucky. One brutal fall of rain during that period would have meant hundreds of houses were flooded in the general Dundalk area. There were problems right through mid-Louth and into north Louth, and even in the area where Ravensdale connects with Jonesborough. Councillor Antóin Watters has spoken to me about particular issues in Jenkinstown. I have dealt with people on the Ardee road who were flooded because the River Blackwater was over-full and spilled into their property, although some work has been done there. There is a need for mitigation to be introduced in that area. I want to focus on my part of Dundalk, in particular, Bay Estate, Cluan Enda and Greenwood Drive, and I include areas like Greenacres, anywhere on the Red Barns Road and St. Alphonsus Road. Those roads would have been the subject of a number of closures and severe flooding. We are being impacted in the context of wastewater infrastructure. We are talking about an area that has infrastructure dating back 20 or 30 years and even longer. There has obviously been an increase in the number of houses - and we need to see more of that - some have been affected by the lack of wastewater capacity. We have the likes of WuXi and other companies operating in the area, and we do not have capacity. The pumping station at Coes Road cannot deal with the amount of water coming through. It will be 2029 before it is upgraded. The treatment plant on the Point Road has a design capacity for a population equivalent of 71,000. This is going to be upgraded to 120,000, but that could take until 2033. When the local authority handed the plant over to Uisce Éireann - it is operated by the EPS Group - it had capacity for 169,000 but under different rules. Water lies there in the Bay Estate, around Holly Park, Oak Vale and even in Cherryvale, but particularly in the part where it comes in from the Alphonsus Road. It is incredibly dangerous, and we need to deal with it.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta ós rud é gur chuir sé an t-ábhar tábhachtach seo ar an gclár inniu. Gabhann an tAire, an Teachta Browne, a leithscéal. Níl sé in ann a bheith linn um thráthnóna. At the outset, I should point out that the operation of the public water supply and the wastewater supply are operational issues locally for Uisce Éireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects. The Minister, Deputy Browne, does not have operational function in the matters to which the Deputy refers. We have, however, enquired with Uisce Éireann and have been informed that the aftermath of Storm Chandra remains an active incident across the country as Uisce Éireann works side by side with the other responsible agencies and first responders to deal with the impacts. We are very grateful, as I am sure the Ceann Comhairle is, for everybody who been working hard all around the country where it has been badly affected.

Indeed.

Across Louth and other affected counties, Uisce Éireann teams are still actively responding to the impact of the storm to triage incidents, to prioritise safety-critical interventions and to ensure that essential services remain operational. The exact cause of specific flood incidents observed in parts of Dundalk remain unclear. Multiple factors, including ground saturation, river level fluctuations and tidal interactions relating to coastal positioning can influence flooding behaviour during storms. A full post-incident review will be undertaken once conditions stabilise. Findings and insights will be shared to the appropriate channels, including the national emergency co-ordination group, NECG, and other oversight bodies, to support continuous improvements of Uisce Éireann's national emergency preparedness and response frameworks. Throughout this flood event in Dundalk and nationally, Uisce Éireann continues to issue public safety information where required, to support local authorities in mitigation efforts and to deploy crews to areas of greatest need. It will maintain full operational readiness, provide ongoing situational updates, and engage with Departments and all stakeholders. All efforts remain focused on public safety, minimising disruption and restoring normal conditions. Under the revised national development plan, NDP, the Government has scaled up support for the water sector by means of a record allocation of €12.2 billion in funding out to 2030. Uisce Éireann will be allocated 95% of this. The funding will support the delivery of a wide range of projects in our cities and regions required for housing delivery, safeguarding public health and the environment and, crucially, the capacity required for new housing targets. The Government is committed to making sure that all aspects of water infrastructure are strengthened and that communities feel the benefit of the unprecedented development in water services announced in the NDP.

I appreciate that the senior Minister cannot be here, but I do not think it is a good enough to say that Uisce Éireann has operational responsibility. We all accept that from a technical point of view. I have no problem with it, but there is an absolute need to have a review with regard to why this has happened. This has happened - it always happens - when we have heavy rain in a particular part of Dundalk. Talk to anyone from the local authority or to any of the engineers who are out doing great work and they will say that they are looking for over-pumping capacity for the Blackwater. That, at least, might mitigate some of this. Hopefully, it can be done over the weekend. We need to look long term at some of the mitigation works that can be carried out. We need to see CFRAM work being done in relation to the Blackwater, but, first and foremost, it must be accepted that we do not have the necessary capacity in the wastewater treatment system in Dundalk, including in the estate where I live. Where I live is not the worst part. I spoke to a man earlier today who, as the water dissipated, is looking at sewage on his property. That is because it is a joint sewerage and storm-water system. Therein lies the problem. The water treatment plant cannot take it. The Coes Road pumping station is where the blockages occur. There is WuXi and a huge number of industrial operations and estates from where the water literally shoots down. It fills the pipes to absolute capacity. This causes a logjam in the system, which then cannot be pumped out. The water builds up and pools in estates such as ours as a result. It is not just water, however, because we are talking about a combined system. The problem gets even worse at high tide. People living in Cluan Enda and the Bay Estate now check for when high tide will occur. We really need to see long-term fixes, with upgrades through CFRAM. In the short term, there needs to be a solution. There was heavy rain in other parts of the country that caused devastation. Some of the problems can maybe be mitigated but a lot of them cannot. We could definitely mitigate the issues we have in Dundalk, particularly those that impact the people who live in the Bay Estate and Cluan Enda. We really need a solution.

I have huge empathy with the Deputy and the residents. My suggestion would be to let Uisce Éireann and the council deal with the immediate aftermath of what is happening this week. Thereafter, it is fair to say, Uisce Éireann has responsibility for wastewater and the sewerage system in general. The local authority is responsible for drainage. It is probably a case of knocking heads together in the context of the combined systems and maybe trying to arrange a meeting between the local authority and Uisce Éireann. They should be given a bit of time to deal with the aftermath of the storms. However, the other matter is something both entities probably need to work on. I would definitely encourage them to come together on that, particularly Uisce Éireann with its big budget. It is still a local authority issue when there is a problem with drains.

I ask that the Minister of State would bring this back to the Minister-----

No Deputy, you went 20 seconds over in your previous intervention..

I will take it back to the Minister.