April 2023 – Update on Surveys
Wintering Birds Surveys
Enviroguide Consulting has been carrying out additional wintering birds surveys in the Corkagh Park and Clondalkin Leisure Centre area. The final survey took place on 23 March 2023.
Site Investigation
IGSL has been appointed as the specialist site investigation contractor to undertake the required site investigation works (boreholes, trial pits, groundwater monitoring and further assessment of ground conditions) within the catchment. Further updates on this work will be shared on this page once the programme of works has been confirmed.
If you have any queries relating to these surveys please contact us through the link within the website.
March 2023 – Update on Surveys
Threshold Surveys
Murphy Geospatial completed further threshold surveys within the River Camac catchment between 30th January and 24th February 2023. The survey data will be used to inform the economic assessments for the scheme.
Wintering Birds Surveys
Enviroguide Consulting has been carrying out additional wintering birds surveys in the Corkagh Park and Clondalkin Leisure Centre area. Two surveys have already taken place on 1st and 23rd February and another survey visit is planned for week commencing 13th March 2023.
Site Investigation
The process of appointing a specialist site investigation contractor to undertake the required site investigation works (boreholes, trial pits, groundwater monitoring and further assessment of ground conditions) within the catchment is continuing. It is anticipated that a contractor will be appointed within the coming weeks. Further updates on this work will be shared on this page once a contractor has been confirmed.
If you have any queries relating to these surveys please contact us through the link within the website.
January 2023 – Surveys
Threshold Surveys
Murphy Geospatial has been appointed to undertake further threshold surveys within the River Camac catchment. These surveys will take place the week commencing 30th January 2023 and will last approximately 2 weeks. The survey work will entail their surveyors taking ground levels within the bounds of each identified property. No access indoors of property is required.
Wintering Birds Surveys
Enviroguide Consulting has been appointed to carry out additional wintering birds surveys in the Corkagh Park and Clondalkin Leisure Centre area. These surveys will start the week commencing 30th January 2023 and the team will carry out a repeat visit in February and March.
Site Investigation
The process of appointing a specialist site investigation contractor to undertake the required site investigation works (boreholes, trial pits, groundwater monitoring and further assessment of ground conditions) within the catchment has commenced. An Appropriate Assessment Screening was undertaken for the proposed site investigation works and this is available to view alongside the DCC Appropriate Assessment Screening Determination Statement within the documents section on the home page. We propose to begin the site investigation works in Spring 2023. Further updates on this work will be shared on this page once a contractor has been confirmed.
If you have any queries relating to these surveys please contact us through the link within the website.
January 2023 – Project Update
Work on the potential options is continuing. Following discussions with individual stakeholders who could be directly impacted by the potential options we are incorporating their feedback into the options. This will require further hydraulic modelling to be undertaken to assess the impact of the amendments. We will also be taking the opportunity to undertake further survey work during this period including additional property threshold surveys and wintering birds surveys. Following this it is expected the options will be presented on Public Consultation Days in early Summer 2023.
OCTOBER 2022 – Project Update
Work is continuing on developing an emerging preferred option.
The project team will be utilising time in November to liaise with individual stakeholders who could be directly impacted by the potential options. Following this, it is expected the emerging preferred option will be presented on Public Consultation Days in the first quarter of 2023.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION EVENT PRESENTATION SLIDES – June 2022
The Project Team would like the thank everyone who came along to the events. The slides from the presentation shown during these events are now available to view.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION EVENTS
The Project Team will be available 1pm – 8pm on:
- 28th June at Civic Offices, Clondalkin
- 29th June at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore
The purpose of these events are to gain your views on the initial options to manage flood risk within the catchment and ensure your views are considered at the next stage of the project.
May 2022 – Hydromorphology Assessment
JBA Consulting completed a Hydromorphology Assessment across the River Camac catchment. The results of this assessment will assist in the development of the River Camac Flood Alleviation Scheme, through the following:
- Identification of opportunities for nature-based flood control measures to be assessed and potentially included as part of this scheme.
- Achieving a full and proper understanding of the hydromorphological regime of the river (baseline condition) and linkages with ecology.
- Providing a framework against which some potential impacts of scheme options can be assessed in the short and long term, in accordance with environmental legislation.
- Has the potential to generate scientifically supported inputs for the Multi-Criteria Analysis process in some environmental categories.
- Identification of potential mitigation measures where scheme impacts that relate to hydromorphology and WFD are deemed likely.
As part of the Hydromorphology Assessment, examples of hydromorphological pressures and impacts have been observed at various locations throughout the catchment. Some of these may have particular relevance for the Camac FAS. A selection is included below in Table 1.
Table 1 – Some key hydromorphological pressures and impacts that relate to flooding
| Hydromorphological Pressure | Hydromorphological impact related to flooding | Relevance for Camac FAS |
| Bank protection; Flood walls; Embankments |
These structural interventions can cut river off from its natural floodplains but they can also be important for safety. | Investigate opportunities to allow the river to re-establish access to its natural floodplains so flood waters can spread out safely in a manner that could help minimise flood risk. |
| Channel straightening/re-alignment | Increased channel energy from decreasing channel length and changing river bed gradient. | Increased energy can contribute to flood risk. Finding ways to re-naturalise a channel that has been artificially straightened can reduce flood risk. |
| Culverts | Can also cut a river off from its floodplains. | Daylighting culverted rivers can create more space to manage flood waters in a safe way. |
Each of these pressures highlighted currently has a negative impact on habitats and biodiversity. Conversely, if hydromorphological improvements are possible and contribute to the enhanced management of flood risk, then habitats and biodiversity could be enhanced as a co-benefit.
Where it is not possible to adequately reduce flood risk to an acceptable level using the measures outlined above, structural measures such as walls and embankments will be considered but their design will be informed by the hydromorphological study so that potential negative impacts can be minimised and mitigated.
March 2022 – Project Update
AECOM would like to thank everyone who contributed to the information request for photographs and videos of flooding in the catchment. This has allowed us to begin the process of ensuring the digital model of the River Camac catchment reflects the previous flood events that have occurred.
Following this the model will go through a full and detailed verification to ensure that it meets the required standards. These tasks are currently underway and are expected to be completed by the end of May 2022.
The next steps include confirming the amount of potential damages associated with the various flood events and developing a suite of different options to alleviate this.
Check back here soon for further updates.
January 2022 – INFORMATION REQUEST
AECOM are seeking historical records of flooding in the vicinity of the River Camac.
Any records such as, photographs and videos of flooding you may have would aid us in our efforts to re-create a digital model of the River Camac catchment.
To allow us to relate these to a specific storm event, the pictures and/or videos that have a time & date stamp are of particular importance. We would also be very grateful if respondents could confirm the approximate location featured in each photo.
If you are in possession of such records, we would greatly appreciate if you would share them with us via our project email address – [email protected]
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
08-12-2021 – Survey Updates
The threshold surveys and CCTV and culvert surveys have now been completed. The results of these are being collated and will be utilised to develop the hydraulic model and determine updated flood extents.
The CCTV survey was completed by McBreen Environmental and included:
- 75 bridges and structures
- 15km of culverts
The threshold survey was completed by Murphy Geospatial with over 1000 property levels surveyed.
The River Camac FAS team would like to thank all residents, landowners, businesses and councils for their continued support and cooperation with this project.
September 2021 – Threshold Surveys
Murphy Geospatial has been appointed to complete a Threshold Survey within the Camac River catchment.
These surveys are due to take place on 6th September 2021 and last for approximately 2 weeks.
The survey work will entail their surveyors taking ground levels within the bounds of your property. No access indoors of your property is required.
The areas in which these surveys will be taking place is as follows:
It is expected that there will be 3-4 separate survey teams working within the catchment at this time.
An example of what the survey team and equipment may look like is shown below.
If you have any queries relating to this survey please contact us through the link within the website.
Ecology Survey Summary – July 2021
Ecology surveys have now been completed within the River Camac catchment. The attached report provides a summary of the findings.
FAQ – 18th May 2021
Virtual Information Event (Presentation Slides) – 28th April 2021
12-03-2021 – CCTV and Culvert Surveys
CCTV survey of the storm drainage network in a number of locations is continuing with the Park West area now complete. CCTV survey works have now moved to the Drimnagh and Mount Brown areas. The survey works of pipes and culverts within the rivers have been delayed further due to continued inclement weather conditions. These works are likely to continue into April 2021.
18-02-2021 – CCTV and Culvert Surveys
The progression of the surveys of culverts and pipes located within the rivers have been delayed due to inclement weather conditions. Extra survey teams are to be mobilised to ensure project progress whilst atteering to all Covid-19 Regulations and Guidance. Expected completion of these surveys is now the end of March 2021.
16-12-2020 – Survey Updates
Enviroguide Consulting Ltd are currently on site conducting Wintering Bird Surveys within the River Camac catchment. Reports and findings are expected in March 2021.
Initial reports for the following environmental surveys have been received from the various surveyors:.
- Terrestrial Mammals
- Bats
- Birds
- Habitat and Invasive Plants
- Aquatic – Crayfish, Fisheries, Macro-Invertebrates
These are currently being reviewed by the Project Team with the aim that a summary of findings can be shared in the New Year.
The Bathymetric and Topographical surveys have now been completed and the information is being reviewed by the AECOM prior to inclusion into the hydraulic model of the River Camac catchment.
01-12-2020 – Imagery from Environmental Surveys
Please visit the Gallery for a collection of images taken during the recent environmental surveys across the River Camac catchment.
07-10-2020 – Survey Updates
CCTV and Culvert Survey
McBreen Environmental have been appointed to complete a Culvert and Sewer CCTV survey of the Camac River catchment. The survey involves the inspections and survey of culverts located within the rivers and areas of the surface water sewer network to help our team build a detailed hydraulic model of the Camac River catchment. The survey is expected to commence on 12th October 2020 and is likely to last 4-6 weeks.
Bathymetric Survey
Trueline Surveys Ltd have been appointed to complete a number of Bathymetric Surveys. The survey involves the measurement of the bed levels of a number of lakes and ponds within the Camac Catchment. These include the ponds within Corkagh Park and Brittas Lake. The survey is expected to commence in the coming weeks and is only likely to last a number of days.
Environmental Surveys
The site surveys for the following have now been completed and are at reporting stage:
- Aquatic
- Bats
- Birds
- Mammals
- Habitat and Invasive Species.
01-09-2020 – Topographical Survey
Murphy Surveys has been appointed to complete a Topographical Survey of the Camac River catchment. The survey involves the measurement of the river channel and rivers features to help our team build a detailed hydraulic model of the Camac River catchment. The survey is expected to commence on 7th September 2020 and is likely to last a number of months. It is expected that there will be 5-6 separate survey teams working within the catchment at this time.
04-08-2020 – Hydromorphology Assessment
JBA Consulting has been appointed to complete a Hydromorphology Assessment across the River Camac catchment.
This assessment will aid in determining the baseline physical character and water content of catchment. This assessment will link with the Water Framework Directive and assist in the assessment of the future flood alleviation measures.
This assessment will include;
- Initial Desktop Exercise
- Site Walkover Survey (Programmed to commence End August/September 2020)
- Reporting and Review
15-07-2020 – Aquatic Surveys
Triturus Environmental Ltd has been appointed to complete a number of Aquatic Surveys across the River Camac catchment. These surveys will include;
- White-clawed Crayfish
- Fisheries Assessment
- Macro-Invertebrates
The surveys are expected to commence in the coming weeks and is likely to last 2-3 months.
Topographical Survey
Murphy Surveys has been appointed to complete a Topographical Survey at Killeen Road Gauging Station. The survey involves the measurement of the weir structure and other river features to help our team estimate flows within the Camac River. The survey is expected to commence in the coming weeks and is only likely to last a number of days.
Environmental Surveys
Enviroguide Consulting Ltd have been appointed to carry out various Environmental Surveys across the River Camac Catchment. These surveys will include:
- Terrestrial Mammals
- Bats
- Birds
- Habitat and Invasive Plants
The surveys above are expected to commence in the coming weeks. Further updates on the survey locations and timescales will be shared on this page once confirmed.
Topographical, CCTV and Bathymetric Surveys
The process of appointing specialist survey contractors to complete surveys within the catchments has commenced. These surveys will include taking measurements and levels of the rivers, manholes and bridges within the catchment.
Public Information Events
Initial Public Consultation Events were held on 5th December 2019.