Nine popular beaches fail minimum quality test

The Irish Times is today reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said nine popular beaches around the country are continuing to fail minimum EU water quality standards because of inadequate sewage infrastructure.

Nine of the State’s 131 beaches and lake shores which are designated by local authorities for bathing failed to meet minimum clean-water standards last year, showing no improvement in numbers since the previous year. 2008 had been the worst year for bathing water quality since records began in 1991. The same number of beaches failed the minimum test in 2009. Although the bathing areas found to be unclean last year are not all the same ones that failed the test the previous year, some are persistent failures.

Fingal in north Dublin had the worst-quality bathing water of any county in the State with three of the nine failing beaches located at Balbriggan front strand, Skerries south beach and Burrow Beach in Sutton. While Sutton and Skerries are new to this year’s list, Balbriggan appeared last year. In Galway, Clifden has again made the failure list and in Westmeath Lilliput at Lough Ennel failed to meet the minimum standards again this year.

The remaining beaches which were deemed clean in 2008, but were last year found to have excessive amounts of faecal coliforms in their waters leading to their failing the minimum test, were Dunmore strand, Dunmore East, Co Waterford, Duncannon, Co Wexford, Killalla Ross beach, Co Mayo, and Youghal main beach, Co Cork.

Dunmore East had for several years been one of the poorest performers. It improved in 2008 to meet EU requirements but slipped again last year below the minimum standards.