OGE provides Flood Risk Assessments for residential and commercial developments, waste permits, discharge licences and hydrological reports. The assessment of flood risk is now required as a typical part of planning applications for developments discharging surface water runoff to rivers and streams. Attenuation designs can mitigate against flooding and provide solutions for minimising the impact of surface water runoff. Flood risk is determined using topographical survey information, data from existing OPW and EPA gauging stations and meteorological data. The risk of flooding from a 100 year storm is assessed and development is restricted inside the identified risk zone. Flood risk assessment is increasingly required to enable mitigation and adaptation to global warming and climate change. 

OPW flood maps indicate if the catchment is prone to flooding. See http://www.floodmaps.ie/ for more information.

See also Percolation tests and Hydraulic Assessments for related information