Other projects affecting rivers/watercourses
As well as major multi-million pound projects to provide flood alleviation to residential and commercial properties DfI Rivers also maintains sea defences and drainage structures.
Drainage infrastructure / Asset maintenance
DfI Rivers is responsible for a substantial length of flood and sea defences throughout Northern Ireland.
It also maintains many kilometres of underground culverted watercourses where rivers and streams flow through towns and cities.
These structures need to be maintained and, where necessary, replaced to ensure that they provide adequate standards of protection or flow capacity.
DfI Rivers regularly surveys these assets and undertakes works to keep them in good condition.
It is important to note that it undertakes schemes and repair works having full regard for the environment and for its legislative responsibility to comply with environmental legislation.
Recent flood management schemes
DfI Rivers undertakes a range of flood alleviation and drainage related works each year. Information on our current and recent schemes are listed below.
Projects completed in year 2018/2019
Laurelvale (Co.Armagh) Flood Alleviation Scheme - New floodwalls, embankment and piped culverts
Concrete Row Stream, Whiteabbey, Drainage Infrastructure Improvement Scheme - New box culvert
Ahoghill Flood Alleviation Scheme - New grille inlet structure, box and piped culverts
Hunters Crescent Floodwall replacement - New floodwalls
Projects completed in the financial year 2019/2020
Lissue Stream, Lisburn, Flood Alleviation Scheme - New floodwalls, box and piped culverts
Slievetoy Park, Belfast, Drainage Infrastructure Improvement Scheme - New piped culvert
For more information on our current or recent schemes, please email your request to rivers.registry@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or telephone 028 8676 8342.
Notices of proposed works
Information on Notices of Proposed Works is available at:
Recent Feasibility reports
Before schemes are designed and constructed they must first undergo a feasibility stage. A feasibility study is done in order to identify possible options to alleviate flooding problems. Such studies include assessments of costs and benefits of the proposed options in order to determine if a scheme is viable and which option is best.
DfI Rivers has carried out post flood investigations and feasibility reports in relation to a number of flooding incidents over recent years and produced the following reports.
- Newry River and Tributaries - Feasibility report
- Belfast Tidal - Feasibility Report
- Fintona - Feasibility Report
- Flush Bridge Stream, Lisburn - Feasibility Report
- Hollywell Burn, Antrim - Feasibility Report
- Lurgan - Feasibility Report
- Portadown - Feasibility Report
- Riverdale Park East - Feasibility Report
- Shimna River, Newcastle - Feasibility Report
Watercourse maintenance
This involves removing silt, weeds and debris that is causing a significant obstruction to the free flow of water. It is carried out in an environmentally sensitive manner to ensure a balance between managing flood risk, drainage and preserving the river corridor ecosystem.