Our Work

Rivers Agency undertakes a range of flood alleviation and drainage related works each year.  These works are explained below along with information on our current and recent schemes.

Where viable schemes are identified, the Agency will construct flood walls, banks and other flood management measures to reduce flood risk to homes and commercial property which have been identified as being at significant risk.

Where new development is planned or constructed, the Agency may upgrade watercourses to accommodate resulting additional storm water discharges.

The Agency 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. The Agency regularly surveys these assets and undertakes works to keep them in good condition.

The Agency must ensure that it undertakes its schemes and repair works having full regard for the environment and for its legislative responsibility to comply with environmental legislation.

For more information on our current or recent schemes, please email your request to rivers.registry@dardni.gov.uk or phone 028 9025 3355.

From time to time DARD issues public notices that it proposes to carry out a drainage scheme or works.

Click here to view current and archived notices.

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.

Click here to view recent feasibility reports.

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.

Click here to view our current maintenance programme.