Cardiff Bay Aqua Park to move to Penarth over water quality concerns
A summer water park will not operate in Cardiff Bay this year over concerns about water quality.Aqua Park is set to move to Cosmeston Lake in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, after it told the council issues over water quality had left it "unable to operate" following heavy rain.The attraction has operated in the Welsh capital since 2019 and includes an inflatable assault course with slides and climbing frames.Cardiff Harbour Authority said water quality in Cardiff Bay was "routinely" checked, but increased rainfall and higher river flows in recent summers had increased the number of failed tests.
Vale of Glamorgan Council's director of place, Marcus Goldsworthy said the move presented an opportunity to generate new income for improving facilities at Cosmeston.An agreement to run a pilot between May and September is set to be signed next month.Speaking at a Vale of Glamorgan Council environment and regeneration scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday, Mr Goldsworthy said the operator had a "number of issues in Cardiff Bay around water quality" and was not able to operate for the days it needed to.He added: "Essentially every time there was heavy rain, the water quality was so bad that they were unable to operate so they basically just couldn't carry on functioning in a financially viable way in Cardiff Bay."In respect of water quality, the water is tested twice a year at Cosmeston to ensure that quality is maintained."Aqua Park first opened in Cardiff Bay in 2019 but was forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic.It reopened for the 2023 and 2024 summer seasons.Vale of Glamorgan Council will carry out a full evaluation of the pilot and decide if it will go out to tender for someone to operate an attraction at Cosmeston next year.
A Cardiff Harbour Authority spokesperson said water quality in Cardiff Bay was "routinely tested" and managed in line with EU bathing water standards."Maintaining public health is our top priority and if water quality fails to reach the necessary standards then steps are taken to protect Bay users," they added.The authority said recent wet summers had increased rainfall and river flows, resulting in more failed tests."Cardiff Harbour Authority has no control over the quality of the water that flows into the Bay and as has been well publicised recently, water quality is an issue in rivers, lakes and other fresh water bodies across the UK."
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