This article is from page 12 of the 2011-06-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
PARTS of Shannon Airport are at risk of being totally submerged underwater in the event of a major flooding event taking place in County Clare.
That is according to a special report on flooding in the Shannon area which formed a central part of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in the Clare County Development Plan which was officially published yesterday.
The report predicts that a one in 200 year flooding incident, made worse by the effect of rising sea levels, could result in overtopping or a breach in the Shannon flood defenses. In this event the report predict that two separate areas close to the international airport could become seriously flooded. A large section of land between Carrigerry and Ballycally would be flooded in the event of a major flooding event as would an area around Rinnanna South – which includes part of the airport and there Shannon Golf Club.
The flooding in the Rinnanna South area would also threaten the Oil Storage Depot at the airport. The Shannon area was chosen as a site for special study in the development plan because of the danger that rising sea level poses to the area and because of the strategic importance of Shannon Airport.
Shannon Airport was granted “gateway status” in the National Spatial Strategy and the importance of Shannon International Airport as a driver of regional growth was also highlighted in the development plan.
The development plan also makes provision for a € 900 million pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant to be located somewhere in Clare. It is hoped that by taking a pro-active approach, the local authority might attract private sector investment in such a project.
Plans for a pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant were rejected by the local people in the Ballyvaughan and Fanore area last year because of fears that the facility might negatively impact on the local environment.
Pumped storage works by using wind power to pump water up a hill into a storage tank during the nighttime and this water will be released through electricity generating turbines during the day when the demand for electricity.
The plans also suggests that Clare should aim to become Ireland’s first clean-tech county with the likes of the Shannon Free Zone, Shannon Airport and the County Council Offices being powered by renewable energy.