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18th May 2017

These six beaches have failed to meet the required standard for bathing water quality in Ireland

Conor Heneghan

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A report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that 93 per cent of beaches in Ireland met minimum EU standards.

Six bathing waters in Ireland failed to meet the minimum required EU standards and were classified as being of ‘poor’ quality last year, according to a new report by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ballyloughane (Galway City Council); Merrion Strand (Dublin City Council); Loughshinny (Fingal County Council); Portrane (Fingal County Council); Tran a bhForbacha (Galway County Council) and Clifden (Galway County Council) failed to meet the strict EU standards required.

Bathing waters are evaluated using a four-year assessment period and any waters graded as ‘poor’ require that management measures be put in place to identify and eliminate the sources of pollution.

130 of 140 bathing areas in Ireland met the standards required; 102 (75%) were classified as ‘excellent’, 18 (12.9%) were classified as ‘good’, while 10 (7.1%) were classified as being of ‘sufficient’ water quality but remain at risk of episodic pollution events.

Duncannon (Wexford), Youghal Front Strand (Cork), and Rush South Beach (Dublin) all showed improved performance in 2016 and now meet the ‘Sufficient’ standard, while one bathing water (Ardmore in Waterford) was classed as changes’ pending full assessment of the performance of a new wastewater treatment plant.

The bathing season in Ireland, is designated as being from June 1 to September 15.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Dr Matt Crowe, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Evidence and Assessment said: “All bathers are entitled to feel that they and their loved ones are safe from harm from the water they swim in when they spend a day at the beach.

“More needs to be done to provide a greater level of protection for bathers at beaches and other bathing areas vulnerable to pollution. It is simply unacceptable to have popular bathing areas classified as being of poor quality.”

You can read the report in full here and you can see the bathing ater quality map of Ireland for the 2016 bathing season here.

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