Two Galway beaches ‘below standard’

Clifden and Ballyloughane Beach in Renmore failed to make the grade, along with a lakeside bathing site in Westmeath, and Achill, Co Mayo in the Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Quality of Bathing Water in Ireland – An Overview for the Year 2013’.

The long-term future for Clifden looks blighted with the EPA report acknowledging that a programme of remedial works for the nearby wastewater treatment plant had commenced – but it added that was unlikely to bring about significant improvements in water quality ahead of the 2016 bathing season.

Two public toilets at the beach, as well as septic tanks from local houses, and leaks from three surface water outfalls were blamed for the threat to seawater quality in Renmore.

Overall, the report said that Ireland’s bathing waters continued to be of a very high standard, with 97 per cent of designated bathing areas meeting the minimum EU qualifying standard.

The EPA monitors 135 locations, the most popular bathing waters as nominated by local authorities, but the authority says that it would like to see the programme widened.

A total of 84.4 per cent (114 of 135) were classified as being of ‘good’ status – a rise from 67 per cent (91 of 136) in 2012.

Next year, many beaches may reach the ‘excellent’ standard of water quality, as new stricter EU standards come into force.

“Our projections show that almost 90 per cent of Ireland’s designated bathing waters should meet the new ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ water quality standards, which will come into force from this year,” said Dr Matthew Crowe, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Assessment.

“Irish bathing waters continue to be among the best in northern Europe. By contrast to the 2012 bathing season, the warm dry conditions last year meant that many waters returned to their normal good quality.”