Thread by @savebrideotters

I’d encourage the engineers who follow this page to come to Blackpool and take a look at this area for themselves. There is a lesson to be learned before the river is further ‘fixed’. All pics except 2009 one (my own)from AIE to Cork City Council. Final pic from OPW report. #cork

In June 2012 the culvert system in Blackpool Village just 450m downstream of this location was completely overwhelmed after exceptionally heavy and prolonged rainfall. The area immediately above this screen was to be designed as a flood storage lake according to planning docs.

I will repeat this story over and over and over again. You don’t fix a car without first establishing exactly what went wrong. The same applies to a 20.5m euro flood scheme.

Those championing the OPW/Cork City Council scheme in the city centre would do well to cast an eye out here to Blackpool first.

There would be no reason to think there would be flooding in Blackpool Village on that early morning because the problem was brewing 450m upstream in the darkness, held at bay by a blocked trash screen, which would collapse an hour or two later releasing many tons of stored water

This blocked trash screen ability to cause a backlog of water above Blackpool Village was evident at least seven years before the 2012 flood event. It was in place for around 11 years in total. #cork

I’m only a stupid cartoonist by the way. Not an engineer. I am familiar with the properties of water though, having 50 years experience of drinking it and swimming in it.

Here's a different perspective on the screen - looking upstream this time. This culvert runs under Brothers Delaney Rd. The red line gives an approximate position of the top of the screen (removed in 2014).

Might as well put this here too as this is ‘the culvert at the Southern end of the site’. #cork

Here's Blackpool Village 450m downstream of the collapsed screen at around 5am on the morning of the 28th of June 2012. Video via AIE from the OPW. #cork

Another video filmed in Blackpool Village on the morning of the 28th June 2012. Camera data shows the time as 5.15am. The culvert in the village, installed only seven years previously, was overwhelmed, not blocked. Video via AIE to OPW. #cork

Strangely this scenario does not feature in any of the official reports I have seen from that day. I can find no reference to this incident in the Blackpool FRS hydraulic modelling report either, apart from an acknowledgment that the screen was subject to blockage.

Final tweet in this thread. Over and out.

Would very much welcome your opinions on this thread @ThePoliteEng , happy to meet you out in Blackpool too should you ever happen to be in the neighbourhood.