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Now ye're talking - to a council engineer

  • 03-09-2018 2:50pm
    #1
    Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    Our next guest is an engineer - from himself:
    I am an Engineer working for an Urban Local Authority (Council). I work on projects involving surface water. I worked privately for a number of years before this. Feel free to ask me anything!


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭D3V!L


    Why is drainage of surface water such a problem in Ireland ?


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    One reason is because hard ground cover has replaced green areas. Then the water accumulates.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,369 ✭✭✭Skuxx


    What hours do you work?


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,377 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Do you lads make jokes in the office about 7 lads leaning on 1 spade. or is that just outside people looking in jokes


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    Skuxx wrote: »
    What hours do you work?

    same as most other people, 9 to half 5


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  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    listermint wrote: »
    Do you lads make jokes in the office about 7 lads leaning on 1 spade. or is that just outside people looking in jokes

    to be honest, its like any other job i've been in. no one really makes those jokes. I think maybe years ago it was different.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,377 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    If you were given a budget of 100 Million and free reign what would be the very first initial project youd hope to see started. national or regional can be either.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,611 ✭✭✭Mooooo


    Have the fisheries total control over the rivers or can they be dredged at any time of the year? If thst was done including smaller rivers it would solve half the problems surely?


  • Registered Users Posts: 963 ✭✭✭eurokev


    What kind of work did you do in private industry?

    What kind of qualifications do you have?? Have you a trade background??

    What kind of age profile are you? If you don't mind me asking - and how long have you spent working in the council/privately. I would just always think money in the council would be far less than out privately, plus less perks like bonuses or health insurance, but this might be my own ignorance


  • Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭Lmklad


    Dunno if you can answer this one and no worries if you can’t

    Last year the road outside my place was resurfaced, I live on a gently sloping road. Since the resurfacing rain water from the road now flows into my drive, flooding it with about an inch of water. The nearest drain is just the other side of my entrance. During the resurfacing the driveways uphill of me all got a “lip” of tarmac to deflect the water out of their drives.

    I have written to a local councillor who lives on the same road (last February) and a couple times since and while he is very nice I’ve not had any help.

    Any glue who I should contact directly?

    Regards


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,547 ✭✭✭Slutmonkey57b


    Why do Irish roads (even new ones) still employ those limited size, flat to the road, easily clogged grates? Given the volume of water that falls, and the account of leaves/mud that accumulates, and the lack of appropriate grading, it means that of the half of the grates which actually get feed with water, half of them are blocked.

    Surely we'd be better off building large storm grates like you see in the US? Or is there a technical reason not to?


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    listermint wrote: »
    If you were given a budget of 100 Million and free reign what would be the very first initial project youd hope to see started. national or regional can be either.

    This will be a really boring answer. I would read the local development plan and put it towards projects off that.


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    Mooooo wrote: »
    Have the fisheries total control over the rivers or can they be dredged at any time of the year? If thst was done including smaller rivers it would solve half the problems surely?

    I'll be honest, i dont know anything about dredging rivers. Ive never carried out that work.


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    eurokev wrote: »
    What kind of work did you do in private industry?

    What kind of qualifications do you have?? Have you a trade background??

    What kind of age profile are you? If you don't mind me asking - and how long have you spent working in the council/privately. I would just always think money in the council would be far less than out privately, plus less perks like bonuses or health insurance, but this might be my own ignorance

    I carried out design work for a consultant in the same area.
    I have a masters in engineering.
    I'm in my 30's. Making more now than I did before.


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    Why do Irish roads (even new ones) still employ those limited size, flat to the road, easily clogged grates? Given the volume of water that falls, and the account of leaves/mud that accumulates, and the lack of appropriate grading, it means that of the half of the grates which actually get feed with water, half of them are blocked.

    Surely we'd be better off building large storm grates like you see in the US? Or is there a technical reason not to?

    Everything in design is chosen for a reason. Each individual case is different, that's all i can say basically.


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    Lmklad wrote: »
    Dunno if you can answer this one and no worries if you can’t

    Last year the road outside my place was resurfaced, I live on a gently sloping road. Since the resurfacing rain water from the road now flows into my drive, flooding it with about an inch of water. The nearest drain is just the other side of my entrance. During the resurfacing the driveways uphill of me all got a “lip” of tarmac to deflect the water out of their drives.

    I have written to a local councillor who lives on the same road (last February) and a couple times since and while he is very nice I’ve not had any help.

    Any glue who I should contact directly?

    Regards
    Customer services in your local authority followed by a picture in an email.


  • Registered Users Posts: 48 vodkatime


    What is career progression like in the council compared to private sector?

    Is the job less stressful compared the private sector?

    Is a council job still considered a job for life or do you think you will move back to the private sector.

    Is it true that the council only hire from within or from other councils once you get past executive engineer level.


  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    vodkatime wrote: »
    What is career progression like in the council compared to private sector?

    Is the job less stressful compared the private sector?

    Is a council job still considered a job for life or do you think you will move back to the private sector.

    Is it true that the council only hire from within or other from other councils once you get past executive engineer level.

    From what i understand, career progression is tough but doable.

    I dont know what ill do, il take it as it comes. I took the job because i like the offer, id take another offer if i liked it.

    Past executive level is through the public appointment service and not internal.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,202 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    One reason is because hard ground cover has replaced green areas. Then the water accumulates.

    It’s a bit more complicated than that. No local area engineer let alone councils worked from the same standards. No consistency


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,989 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Is your Council any better than mine at responding to FixMyStreet reports? Because mine is fairly crap. In some cases, potholes are fixed after a few days. Other potholes are still there years later, after multiple reports. It took six months and several escalations to Councillors and the CEO to get a simple pavement reinstated to a proper standard. I'm not jumping up and down expecting stuff stuff to be done on demand - but if they could just have told me it would be 3 months or 6 months or whatever.

    What kind of list or prioritisation system is in place for jobs like this? Is there any management visibility to lists of outstanding stuff, or size of backlog? Does anyone measure or monitor response time to queries?


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  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    godtabh wrote: »
    It’s a bit more complicated than that. No local area engineer let alone councils worked from the same standards. No consistency

    That's why I mentioned 'one reason'.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,202 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    That's why I mentioned 'one reason'.

    Your reply gave the reason for the build up of water not why drainage of surface water such a problem in Ireland.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,138 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    godtabh wrote: »
    It’s a bit more complicated than that. No local area engineer let alone councils worked from the same standards. No consistency
    That's why I mentioned 'one reason'.
    godtabh wrote: »
    Your reply gave the reason for the build up of water not why drainage of surface water such a problem in Ireland.

    Another problem is the shear lack of people who will comply with the Regulations such as SUDS or the Greater Dublin Drainage Strategy.

    Just this week I got a call from a home owner asking if we can omit the attenuation tanks on a small development because he didn't want to spend the money. Added to the fact that more and more people are not concreting or paving their gardens and reducing the natural soakage through grass areas and soil.

    Interesting AMA OP, enjoy.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭D3V!L


    godtabh wrote: »
    Your reply gave the reason for the build up of water not why drainage of surface water such a problem in Ireland.

    I wasn't expecting any more than a short answer on it. :rolleyes:


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,202 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    kceire wrote: »
    Another problem is the shear lack of people who will comply with the Regulations such as SUDS or the Greater Dublin Drainage Strategy.

    Just this week I got a call from a home owner asking if we can omit the attenuation tanks on a small development because he didn't want to spend the money. Added to the fact that more and more people are not concreting or paving their gardens and reducing the natural soakage through grass areas and soil.

    Interesting AMA OP, enjoy.

    I've had meetings with the same LA and same engineer on different projects where climate change requirements vary from 10%-50% without any reasoning given. As designers consistency would be great!


  • Registered Users Posts: 27 junglejim1


    Hi, my neighbour is building a "shed" up against my boundary. It's footprint is 26.2 sq m. Is the exemption of 25 sq m the actual floor area or overall footprint?
    Thanks


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,138 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    junglejim1 wrote: »
    Hi, my neighbour is building a "shed" up against my boundary. It's footprint is 26.2 sq m. Is the exemption of 25 sq m the actual floor area or overall footprint?
    Thanks


    The 25 Sq. M exemption for sheds is based on the internal floor area.

    Don't forget, there's also a height restriction of 3m (flat roof) and 4m (pitched roof) and you must have 25 Sq. M of a rear garden remaining.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,098 ✭✭✭rameire


    Is your workload mainly constrained due to budgetary controls or is there monies set aside for good projects that just pop up.
    The work that you complete, does it have to get passed by people who haven't a clue what they are doing first? Thus reducing the overall effect of what you could be doing?

    🌞 3.8kwp, 🌞 Split 2.28S, 1.52E. 🌞 Clonee, Dub.🌞



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    Who's responsible for maintaining drains and shores? The ones in Dublin city are always blocked


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  • Company Representative Posts: 15 Verified rep I'm a Council Engineer, AMA


    godtabh wrote: »
    Your reply gave the reason for the build up of water not why drainage of surface water such a problem in Ireland.

    I feel I adequately answered the question. Hope this helps.


This discussion has been closed.
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