Summer swimming

With the holiday season approaching, parents in north county Dublin and elsewhere have reason to be concerned about the quality…

With the holiday season approaching, parents in north county Dublin and elsewhere have reason to be concerned about the quality of bathing water available to their children.

A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dealing with water quality for 2006, charts a gradual deterioration in bathing water quality around the coast but particularly in the Dublin Fingal council area. While the number of designated swimming places failing to reach EU mandatory requirements fell from five to four last year, the number that did not meet more stringent Irish standards rose from 24 to 30. Six of those were in the Fingal area.

The reason for poor water quality lies primarily in the presence of untreated sewage. Human error or inadequate local authority treatment plants allow the discharge of health-threatening materials. Children and adults become sick if they swallow contaminated water. As the EPA points out: "the purpose of the Bathing Water Regulations is the protection of human health". And it urges county councils to advise swimmers through local radio or public notices of any risks involved.

We still enjoy very good bathing water quality. Designated beaches in 11 out of 18 seaboard counties comply fully with EU standards. That is all the more reason to protect what we have and to improve unsatisfactory facilities. Our population is increasing rapidly and, as time goes on, there will be greater public demand for such amenities. The most consistent offenders against bathing water standards have been Fingal, Waterford and Galway county councils. Galway drinking water has been in the news for months now. Last week, untreated sewage spilled over the beach at Tramore. And north Dublin beaches are at ongoing risk.

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For years now, the EPA has been urging local authorities to increase the number of designated bathing places from 131 to 160, to bring us into line with European norms. Nothing has happened. It may be that councils are unwilling to take on an increase in water monitoring and lifeguard provision or the risk that newly-designated beaches could become polluted. It may also reflect a shortage of funding. Whatever the reason, it is not good enough. The public deserves clean water and a sufficient number of easily accessible, safe beaches.

A new EU directive on bathing water quality comes into effect next year. It will simplify sampling requirements and make it easier for councils to meet their obligations. In the meantime, they have a responsibility during the summer months to keep parents fully informed of any water-borne threat to the health of their children.