A four-year study into flood management in Cork city and county has estimated that the cost of building defences to reduce the risk of tidal and river floods there would be in excess of €100m.
The study proposes that the ESB would use its dams at Inniscarra and Carrigadrohid in Cork to control the flow of the River Lee to reduce the risk of flooding in the city.
Last November, after days of rain, the ESB was forced to release up to 535 tonnes of water per second through its dam at Inniscarra on the River Lee.
Over the course of a few hours much of the western part of Cork city was flooded, causing damage running into hundreds of millions of euro.
The four-year study has concluded that it would cost more than €100m to build new defences against tidal and river flooding in Cork - and this cost may be prohibitive.
However, the report proposes that the ESB, using its two dams on the River Lee, should take on an enhanced flood risk management role.
The Cork study was a pilot programme. Now the plan is to extend that to flood risk areas nationwide.
Launching the report, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works Martin Mansergh acknowledged that finding money would be a problem but he insisted resources would be made available.
It's planned to have all flood risk management studies completed nationally by 2015.
