A national group representing victims of flooding says there's no doubt that mistakes will be made as authorities attempt to provide solutions for flood prone communities.
It comes as Clare County Council has raised concerns over the OPW's C-FRAM study, which has found that the cost of providing flood defence works at Springfield would not be warranted.
Clare County Council claims this major national study on flooding has underestimated the extent of potential flooding in the Clonlara area.
The C-FRAM report suggests that no flood protection works be carried out at Springfield, one of the worst hit communities in last winter's flooding, because the cost of the works would be too expensive.
But the local authority is opposing the findings, saying this may not have been the case if more accurate data was used, and it's now seeking OPW funding to carry out a fresh feasibility study in the area.
430 million euro has been set aside by the OPW to provide defences for flood prone communities and the Irish National Flood Forum says there's no doubt but that mistakes will be made during the planning process.
Ahead of a major conference on the issue in Ballinasloe weekend, the group's PRO Jer Buckley says it's vital that communication remains open with affected communities.
