Is Irish water clean ??

Masta Chief

Number of people in the East coast surf club were saying East coast water is filthy , compared to other areas in Ireland...I have to say I didnt think so.... Any thoughts ?

cornbb

I haven't surfed the East coast but I windsurfed in Galway recently with someone from Dublin who told me the water in Malahide was like soup compared to our spot in Galway bay. So anecdotally yes, people seem to be of that opinion.

The Hulkster

+1

Rebeller

Masta Chief wrote: »

Number of people in the East coast surf club were saying East coast water is filthy , compared to other areas in Ireland...I have to say I didnt think so.... Any thoughts ?

Compared with other European countries? Yes, relatively clean.

However, this is not particularly due to any strong action on the government,local authorities' parts but due to the relatively low population density at most of the the main surfing breaks. EU directives have also forced the state to stop pumping raw, untreated sewage into our rivers and seas.

That being said, there are some trouble spots around the coastline. The East coast in general, what with the sprawl that is Dublin and the timebomb that is Sellafield, is pretty mank (when compared with the pristine waters ooff rural Kerry coast or Sligo area).

Southeast around Tramore area is improving but has pollution blackspots.

South/Southwest pretty clean but progressively dirtier as you get closer to the Cork harbour area.

West pretty good apart from certain areas close to Galway city but once again improving as water treatment plants are brought online.

Try surfing in any spots around Lisbon, Portugal or Basque area of France and Spain and you'll have more than crowds of people in the water:eek:

Gone West

Lets just say I'm never hungry after a good paddle in the East coast

The Hulkster

Good points rebeller

LOL Fuzzy

Masta Chief

Thanks for the feedback very interesting

CantGetNoSleep

Tramore was filthy in recent years, very good quality water now

c - 13

It has gotten better in recent years alright but its still a long way from blue flag standard. Most of the other beaches along the south are pretty good though.

Inch strand can be manky at times. I nearly drowned there when I first started. A coal sack got caught around my legs & leash and I couldnt get the damn thing off.

Garry17

Need to be carefull surfing rivermouths during high rainfall at certain times of year due to slurry being spread upstrean and also poor septic tanks etc.

Masta Chief

Was in Tramore yesterday , seemed quite clean

CantGetNoSleep

c - 13 wrote: »

It has gotten better in recent years alright but its still a long way from blue flag standard. Most of the other beaches along the south are pretty good though.

Inch strand can be manky at times. I nearly drowned there when I first started. A coal sack got caught around my legs & leash and I couldnt get the damn thing off.

Tramore has a very good chance of having a blue flag next year

c - 13

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Tramore has a very good chance of having a blue flag next year

Really ? I surf there a bit and still thought it had a way to go. Hopefully they'll get it, would be very good for the area.

A lot of the rubbish generated there is by the tourists (and locals) on the beach though and the place tends to get fairly messy.

Killgore Trout

cornbb wrote: »

I haven't surfed the East coast but I windsurfed in Galway recently with someone from Dublin who told me the water in Malahide was like soup compared to our spot in Galway bay. So anecdotally yes, people seem to be of that opinion.

Water in Malahide and Portmarnock is always cloudy because of the sediment from two river estuaries. I swim there pretty regularly and and it's cloudy but clean most of the time. That's not to say there aren't problems - from time to time, but generally the water quality around Dublin isn't actually too bad

CantGetNoSleep

c - 13 wrote: »

Really ? I surf there a bit and still thought it had a way to go. Hopefully they'll get it, would be very good for the area.

A lot of the rubbish generated there is by the tourists (and locals) on the beach though and the place tends to get fairly messy.

The water quality is better than was expected since the new sewage plant became operational. There is still a lot of litter on the beach and surrounding areas.

Water quality is only one of a number of criteria for a blue flag

Gone West

Well theres "clean" dirt and theres dirty dirt.
After a good rain, when the rivers are up and brown (with clay, sediment, natural stuff), a few rivermouth breaks and reefs I know start looking brown. This is grand, in my opinion. Its only dirt like. But sewage/slurry/pollutants are a whole other story.

lostinsuperfunk

EPA's bathing water quality map (2007)

I'd be a bit wary of surfing near rivermouths after heavy rain, especially near agricultural or heavily populated areas. Slurry can get washed off the land, sewerage systems can get overloaded. And of course near Cork we now have the added risk of Chromium VI. Keep your mouth closed when you wipe out!