There has been marked improvement in bathing water quality at monitored Irish beaches, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
However, the agency says local authorities must build “climate resilience” in response to high-rainfall events after many beaches in the west and northwest had to be closed last August on public health grounds after major downpours.
The agency’s 2024 report shows 122 bathing sites (81 per cent) had excellent water quality, the highest number of such ratings since the current classification system began.
Only two beaches – Sandymount in Dublin and Lady’s Bay in Buncrana, Co Donegal – were designated as “poor”, with 96 per cent of sites (145 of 151) meeting or exceeding the minimum standard – an increase of two on 2023.
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Discharges from wastewater overflows, contamination from dog fouling and “foul drain misconnections” are the main issues at these beaches. Run-off from agriculture and wastewater from properties going to surface water drains rather than sewers also impacted on other bathing sites.
Heavy rainfall and associated wastewater overflows, along with runoff from agricultural lands and urban areas, can cause short-term deterioration in water quality and pose a health risk, the EPA says.
While localised intense rainfall in the west and northwest led to bathing water restrictions and beach closures, there were fewer restrictions last year (34) than in 2023 (45). The decline was attributed to there being less overall rainfall.
Dr Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said the findings were “a positive news story”.
“However, heavy rainfall during another bathing season has emphasised the need to build climate resilience into the management of bathing waters,” she said.
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“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.”
Water quality at Lady’s Bay and Sandymount was also found to be poor in 2023. Management plans are in place to identify pollution sources and improve water quality at these locations, where swimming is banned.
This approach was successful in the cases of three beaches deemed poor in 2023 which have since improved – Balbriggan (Front Strand) and Loughshinny in north Co Dublin, and Trá na mBan (An Spidéal) in Co Galway.
Persistent problems at Sandymount continue due to contaminated streams. In 2019, it prompted Dublin City Council to set up Dublin Bay Bathing Water Taskforce to identify and fix pollution sources.
The main source of pollution at Lady’s Bay was untreated wastewater released occasionally from Buncrana’s town collecting system.
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Uisce Éireann is upgrading the system to improve its performance and storage capacity during heavy rainfall.
The utility firm needs to continue to improve the operation, management and maintenance of treatment plants, which impact on bathing waters, the EPA report adds.
Three new bathing water sites were also identified last year; The Cove, Greystones (Wicklow), Half-Moon (Dublin) and Dromineer Lake (Tipperary).
Information on bathing water quality, including regular updates on monitoring results during the bathing season (June 1st to September 15th), is available at www.beaches.ie.
