Fingal had the worst-quality bathing water

Benjy

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.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0604/1224271819649.html

Bluetonic

Not much new there from the Irish Times, well reported here that water quality was poor last years.

Balbriggan, Sutton and Skerries well within blue flag standard on last reading on 25th May 2010.

The article is quite unfair as the headline and opening paragraph indicate thats the current situation. Poor article.

LeoB

I suppose the sewage from all the new houses had to go somewhere>>>>> Its an awful shame to see our bathing areas getting such a bashing really. Loads of people on North and South beach Rush over the last few days.

Rashers72

I was on Skerries north beach @ 12 today. Glorious sunshine, but beach was deserted. Was a low tide.
But I agree, that the water quality is very bad on the north beach. Fingal co.co. spent millions on a waste water treatment plant at Kelly's Bay, with significant development levies paid for by any new estates in Skerries in the last 10 years.
Clearly we have not got value for money with this. We were promised some improvement once this plant opened. I am assuming it is fully operational, but I am subject to correction.
In fact, it would be easier to explain if the plant was not open. :mad:
Any thoughts?

Bluetonic

Rashers72 wrote: »

I was on Skerries north beach @ 12 today. Glorious sunshine, but beach was deserted. Was a low tide.
But I agree, that the water quality is very bad on the north beach. Fingal co.co. spent millions on a waste water treatment plant at Kelly's Bay, with significant development levies paid for by any new estates in Skerries in the last 10 years.
Clearly we have not got value for money with this. We were promised some improvement once this plant opened. I am assuming it is fully operational, but I am subject to correction.
In fact, it would be easier to explain if the plant was not open. :mad:
Any thoughts?

The extension to the plant wasn't fully operational last summer. It also mixed surface with foul water resulting in overflow when heavy rainfall occurred.

Have you read the reports I posted above? They clearly indicate the water quality is better than Blue Flag standard at least reading.

You understand that the water quality in the news reports is from a year ago?

RobFowl

Bluetonic wrote: »

You understand that the water quality in the news reports is from a year ago?

You know the score, Papers never let the full facts get in the way of a good story...

Rashers72

Thanks for those links (Bluetonic) - you are right, I should have checked it out first.
It would be interesting to get a 10 year map of water quality in Fingal beaches. In Skerries, for example, you have a lot less trawlers, yet I have not seen any improvement. Just my opinion.

Carawaystick

Every year for the last few years at Skerries south Strand the chart shows almost all readings below the blue flag limit ad one or two days where the reading is so off the scale that the bar can't show how bad it is. Has anyone explained this? to me the level is so bad it's as if the sample was taken ad included a floating turd or something to get the level so high.

Also the levels aren't posted every day - so the bad days could easily be more numerous than they are shown.

meditraitor

Carawaystick wrote: »

Every year for the last few years at Skerries south Strand the chart shows almost all readings below the blue flag limit ad one or two days where the reading is so off the scale that the bar can't show how bad it is. Has anyone explained this? to me the level is so bad it's as if the sample was taken ad included a floating turd or something to get the level so high.

Also the levels aren't posted every day - so the bad days could easily be more numerous than they are shown.

I called the council about this and they cannot give me a concrete answer, the person I spoke to had one of the scientist guys out in Navan(i think thats were he said) who does the analysis call me back and he also was quite vague about why it goes over legal limits a few times a year.

They don't have any reports(the type of report that would suggest how to fix it or whats causing it)on the sampling,

He did suggest however that after significant rainfall the chances of excursions above legal limits are very high.

Its frightening to think that the beaches of balbriggan and skerries can go over LEGAL limits and we wont know till after because the sampling is not posted realtime..........

For that reason I wouldnt have my child bath in either, use them alright but certainly not go in the water!

Benjy

Portmarnock has regained its blue flag status.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0614/breaking27.html

hidinginthebush

Benjy wrote: »

Portmarnock has regained its blue flag status.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0614/breaking27.html

Yep got of the bus at lunchtime and saw it flying proudly, happy times!

sceiri

I thought it was worth reassuring potential swimmers for Skerries that the water quality has been great since the start of this years official bathing season i.e. May 2010. A group of local swimmers have collected samples from a number of swimming points and had then tested by state labs and they are all meeting Blue Flag cleanliness.

It confirms what we thought last year which was the 'normal quality' is good but on the 19th July and 19/20th Aug when we had torrential rain the drainage systems for all of North Co. Dublin were over loaded the quality deteriorated dramatically and all the fingal beaches was closed.

We have posted the latest 2010 water quality results on our local notice board for all to see before going in the water - and we have an early warning system in case the storms come back this year - thankfully the fine weather goes hand in hand with good quality water and people don't venture in when it is blowing a gale and pouring out of the heavens.

It does make you wonder why the EPA takes so long to issue the 2009 report and sloppy journalism reporting last year results as breaking news! - We knew in Skerries last Aug and started planning for this year at that point ...

meditraitor

Benjy wrote: »

Portmarnock has regained its blue flag status.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0614/breaking27.html

Im delighted about this, lets hope in the coming years Skerries and Balbriggan can get one.......

meditraitor

sceiri wrote: »

- thankfully the fine weather goes hand in hand with good quality water and people don't venture in when it is blowing a gale and pouring out of the heavens.

...

I am very impressed with this, locals taking matters into their own hands... Well done.
We all know how slow FCC are out of the blocks and instead of moaning about how useless they are more people should do this.....

One thing though, from what I gather it could be a couple days after torrential rain that the coliforms subside to safe levels....

Bluetonic

Just thought I'd update this with the water quality from Balbriggan and Skerries since the start of the summer until near enough current figures.

Aside from a small lapse during one test in June for both Skerries and Balbriggan the water quality has been well below the legal maximum and over the period of time not far, or fully compliant with for Blue Flag standard.

I believe the failure in Balbriggan for the week in June was a result of a failure in the pump house.

Good work by FCC.

Corsendonk

sceiri wrote: »

I thought it was worth reassuring potential swimmers for Skerries that the water quality has been great since the start of this years official bathing season i.e. May 2010. A group of local swimmers have collected samples from a number of swimming points and had then tested by state labs and they are all meeting Blue Flag cleanliness.

It confirms what we thought last year which was the 'normal quality' is good but on the 19th July and 19/20th Aug when we had torrential rain the drainage systems for all of North Co. Dublin were over loaded the quality deteriorated dramatically and all the fingal beaches was closed.

We have posted the latest 2010 water quality results on our local notice board for all to see before going in the water - and we have an early warning system in case the storms come back this year - thankfully the fine weather goes hand in hand with good quality water and people don't venture in when it is blowing a gale and pouring out of the heavens.

It does make you wonder why the EPA takes so long to issue the 2009 report and sloppy journalism reporting last year results as breaking news! - We knew in Skerries last Aug and started planning for this year at that point ...

A friend of mine who is a trained EHO did his thesis on the canoe water polo court in Kilcock. For anyone that doesn't know it, its on the Royal Canal in the middle of the town and he had the same findings with coliforms figures rising after heavy rainfall. All the rain water pipes in the old town connected into the canal.

I know some people have objected to water charges but the investment from the charges should also ensure we have a network that can handle pump failures and the increased rainfall from climate change.