Flood risk · Westport, Co. Mayo
Flood risk in Westport: 4 recorded floods and mapped flood zones
The OPW register holds 4 recorded floods within 2 km of the centre of Westport, and the OPW has mapped river and coastal flood extents nearby. What that means for a house here, and how to check the exact address.
4
recorded flood events within 2 km of the town centre (OPW)
Yes
river flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 100 year, OPW CFRAM)
Yes
coastal flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 200 year)
What the OPW record says about Westport
The Office of Public Works keeps a register of past floods. Within 2 km of the centre of Westport it holds 4 events, the latest in 2015. By source: coastal/estuarine waters (3), river (1). A recorded event does not mean every street went under. It means an insurer’s model knows the town.
Most recent on file:
- December 2015: Flooding at Westport on 05/12/2015 (river). 14 residential properties, six commercial and 1 leisure facility flooded during Storm Desmond.
- January 2014: Flooding at Westport Quay on 18th Dec 2013 and 3rd Jan 2014 (coastal/estuarine waters).
- December 2013: Flooding at Westport Quay on 18/12/2013 (coastal/estuarine waters). Flooding of roads and quay wall damage in Westport Quay due to tidal water.
- December 2013: Flooding at Harbour View, Westport on 18/12/2013 (coastal/estuarine waters). Waves broke over quay wall, water overtopping and filling low lying areas. Two properties flooded. Damage to pavement and road flooded.
Separately from past events, the OPW flood maps (CFRAM) draw modelled extents for river and coastal flooding near Westport. A house inside the 1 in 100 year river extent, or the 1 in 200 year coastal extent, will usually need a flood-specific conversation with the insurer before you can draw down a mortgage.
What to do before bidding on a house here
Look the exact address up on the OPW map, not the town. Two houses on the same road can sit on opposite sides of an extent line. Ask the seller in writing whether the house or garden has ever flooded and whether a flood claim was made. Ask for the current insurance schedule. If the house is inside an extent, get a quote before going sale agreed: some insurers decline outright, and the bank will not lend without cover.
The free snapshot on this site flags flood for one Eircode in about a minute. The paid report adds the distance to each recorded event, which extents the point falls in, and the GSI groundwater map, all with links to the source so a solicitor can rely on them.
Check one house in Westport
The area tells you the odds. The report tells you about the house.
Enter the Eircode. The free snapshot shows which of the twenty-nine checks flag up. The full report (€24.99, one house, no account) puts the exact Eircode point on the OPW extents, lists every recorded flood within 500 m with dates and notes, and checks groundwater and coastal erosion maps too.
Or read the sample report first: a real house, 16 pages.
Also for Westport
Questions people ask
- Is Westport in a flood zone?
- Parts of Westport are. The OPW has mapped river and coastal flood extents within about 1.5 km of the town centre. A zone covers streets, not the whole town, so the answer for one house depends on where it stands. The report checks the exact Eircode against the 1 in 10, 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 year extents.
- Will a house in Westport be hard to insure against flooding?
- Insurers price by postcode and by the OPW record. With 4 recorded events within 2 km, expect questions on the proposal form and possibly a flood exclusion on some streets. Ask the seller for their current policy schedule: if flood is excluded, you will inherit that problem.
- What does the paid report add for a house in Westport, Co. Mayo?
- It puts the Eircode point against every OPW flood extent, lists recorded floods within 500 m with dates and OPW notes, checks GSI groundwater flood maps and coastal erosion, and ranks the result against the other twenty-eight checks (radon, BER, planning, knotweed, title, sewer and more) for that one address.
Sources
- OPW flood maps and past flood events (floodinfo.ie)
- Town centres and sales counts: homeprices.ie (Property Price Register)
Area figures, compiled from public records. They describe the town or county, not any one house. The paid report checks the exact Eircode.