'Excellent' water quality news for Irish beachgoers this summer
The EPA found that of the 151 officially designated bathing areas, 122 of them were given a water quality of excellent last year, with the quality checks being carried out during the official three month bathing period between June 1 and September 15.
19 bathing spots were given a 'good ranking' and four more met the minimum 'sufficient' standard, while two beaches failed with a 'poor' rating; which is down from three in 2023. The two beaches that failed were Lady's Beach in Buncrana, Co Donegal, and Sandymount in Dublin — both of which failed last year, and will be hit with no swim notices. A large majority of Irish swimming spots and beaches have been given a water quality rating of 'excellent' by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pic: Getty
Despite the good news for swimmers, there are some caveats surrounding the results; mainly that waters are only tested during the three-and-a-half month official bathing season, while some people will swim year round. The areas that rank highly may also suffer from dips in quality, while heavy rain could overwhelm storm drains — meaning that untreated waste water may get onto the shorelines.
There were 79 'prior warning' notices from city and county councils during the wet spells, but the number of closures due to confirmed pollution incidents were 34 — down nine from 45 in 2023.
And despite the improvements, the EPA have called on local authorities to invest more in climate resilience, and managing bathing waters. 122 beaches were given 'excellent' ratings by the EPA, while two were given a 'poor' or failure rating — down from three in 2023. Pic: Roy Harris/Shutterstock
'We are happy to bring a positive news story on our bathing water quality for 2024, which is overall very good,' Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of Evidence and Assessment at the EPA, said. 'However, heavy rainfall during another bathing season has emphasised the need to build climate resilience into the management of bathing waters.
'Heavy rainfall in the west and north-west last August especially resulted in many beaches being closed to protect swimmers' health. Local authorities must step up their efforts to improve their understanding of causes of pollution from heavy rainfall and how this impacts beaches.
'This is also important outside the official bathing water season as more and more people are enjoying outdoor swimming all year round.' The EPA have also called for local councils to build climate resilience into bathing water management. Pic: Getty Images
There were also three new bathing sites identified in 2024, with Half Moon in Dublin being given an excellent rating. The other two sites, Dromineer Lake in Co Tipperary and The Cove in Greystones, Co Wicklow are yet to be rated.
The good news comes as one of Ireland's most stunning beaches was identified as one of the top 50 in the world.
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