Dublin Bay: the stench is getting worse

Dionysus

So much for the supposed power of the "D4 lobby". And I'm a culchie.

The stench around Booterstown, Blackrock and all the Dublin Bay coast south from, at least, Sandymount ought to be completely unacceptable. You really are walking next to a massive septic tank. This is happening every day for, at least, months now. It seems to get worse when there's any kind of decent weather.

I haven't heard a single word in the media giving out about it. And to think it's in the constituency of the Minister for the Environment. There is, on the one hand, something very egalitarian about this. On the other hand, no community on this island should have to breathe in this putrid air every day.

What is the reason for this problem continuing? Is there any hope of it being solved?

Donkey Oaty

Are we talking sewage smell, or the scrotumtightening seaweed smell that has always been there but can be exacerbated in hot weather?

Mr Benevolent

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Are we talking sewage smell, or the scrotum-tightening seaweed smell that has always been there but can be exacerbated in hot weather?

How does the smell exercise the scrotum?

And I'm a culchie.

So you've never smelt seaweed then?

Dionysus

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Are we talking sewage smell, or the scrotumtightening seaweed smell that has always been there but can be exacerbated in hot weather?

Sewage, very, very definitely sewage.

BluesBerry

Is it to do with the sewage treatment center in ringsend? that place smells rank

Donkey Oaty

Confab wrote: »

How does the smell exercise the scrotum?

I never said it did. But the seaweed does.

caseyann

Its the shape shifting aliens(the dail )flushing their loos and having their showers,mix of the food they eat and the skin loss,traveling through the cisterns etc...

Dionysus

BluesBerry wrote: »

Is it to do with the sewage treatment in ringsend? that place smells rank

I'd be fairly sure it has. But the stench is not acceptable. There must be some technology available to treat the sewage in order to stop it polluting the atmosphere for kilometres around.

rednik

BP are on the way to repair the Bay.

Coriolanus

Dionysus wrote: »

I'd be fairly sure it has. But the stench is not acceptable. There must be some technology available to treat the sewage in order to stop it polluting the atmosphere for kilometres around.

There is but they needed the money to bulldoze Tara hill.

Donkey Oaty

It's the weather, says Dublin City Council:

FOUL SMELLS and the appearance of brown sludge on beaches around Dublin Bay are the result of sunny weather and not sewage, Dublin local authorities have said.
Residents in Dublin have in recent days reported sewage-like odours in the north and south bay areas, and stretching inland as far as Dundrum in south Dublin.

Diggers have also been seen removing piles of foul-smelling, heavy brown sludge from Dollymount Strand on the north side of the bay.
However, while the sludge has an appearance and smell similar to that of raw sewage, a spokesman for Dublin City Council said it was a naturally occurring algae which had overproduced because of the recent warm weather.

"It's called ectocarpus. It's a naturally occurring algal bloom caused by high amounts of sunshine."
He said the sludge, while unpleasant, was perfectly harmless, and did not contain any treated or untreated sewage. It was not in any way related to emissions from the Ringsend waste-water treatment plant.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0522/1224270895310.html

Dionysus

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

It's the weather, says Dublin City Council:



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0522/1224270895310.html

Thanks; excellent link. That article answers my next question: why does this stench not occur in other seaside areas that I know?

Coastwatch Ireland said while the sun did result in algae overproduction, the ectocarpus algae was particularly prevalent in Dublin Bay because of the high "nutrient content" of the water, which kept the algae fed.

Water can have a high nutrient content because of the presence of nitrate run-off from fields, industrial pollution, emissions from boats, car fumes in high-traffic areas or sewage effluent.
"The nutrient content of Dublin Bay is particularly high. The ectocarpus bloom which results in a brown goo is not sewage in itself, but the presence of sewage in water is one of the things which can increase its nutrient content," said Coastwatch spokeswoman Karin Dubsky.

seensensee

While aboard the dart and passing by monkstown/seapoint/salthill one observes a dark putrid slime which covers much of the beach and then for me a brief reoccurring thought...heh..."they don't do beach maintenance over here"... journey on.

Nodin

seensensee wrote: »

While aboard the dart and passing by monkstown/seapoint/salthill one observes a dark putrid slime which covers much of the beach and then for me a brief reoccurring thought...heh..."they don't do beach maintenance over here"... journey on.

Last time I was near a beach I noticed the same thing. They weren't dark though, and tended to arrive around 10-11 am via Honda Civics.....

Superbus

For a while you could smell it in my house. Unbearable. I still feel like I need to apologise to my fellow passengers for opening a door to stench hell when disembarking the DART at Booterstown. Something must be done dammit! I saw a man get sick outside The Punchbowl the other day, though that might have been because of something else. Still! Something must be done. Booterstown Marsh is getting it's algae on.

gurramok

Dionysus wrote: »

So much for the supposed power of the "D4 lobby". And I'm a culchie.

The stench around Booterstown, Blackrock and all the Dublin Bay coast south from, at least, Sandymount ought to be completely unacceptable. You really are walking next to a massive septic tank. This is happening every day for, at least, months now. It seems to get worse when there's any kind of decent weather.

No smell here in Ringsend, my farts must of drifted south towards you

Donkey Oaty

Sadly, the best chap to campaign on this issue is no longer with us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_Dublin_Bay_Rockall_Loftus

gurramok

I wonder has the stink reached a certain AH poster called Fratton Frederick in Sandycove? :P

Donkey Oaty

gurramok wrote: »

I wonder has the stink reached a certain AH poster called Fratton Frederick in Sandycove? :P

He contributed to this short thread from 2007 about the very same issue.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055148054

admiralofthefleet

the smell in seapoint last monday was stomach churning

mikemac

Hey OP, I don't live in your area but I do know the issue

Lough Derg, largest lake in Ireland has this foul smelling issue every summer. And I mean foul, bear in mind unlike Sandymount this is a prime tourist destination.

The issue is algae, too much nitrogen in the water so when temperatures rise, the growth of algae explodes and of course, it then washes up.
So toxic that when dogs who eat the algae have died horrible deaths from it and people who swim get rashes. Our county council issues warnings on this every summer

No bull****, we even had a lobby group SOLD (Save our Lough Derg)

Now OP you jumped to a conclusion and blamed sewage.
Hey, the same was done here and farmers blamed for spreading slurry.
It's not the case though.

Unlike us, the Minister for Environment is in your area so go see the man!

Coriolanus

feelingstressed wrote: »

Hey OP, I don't live in your area but I do know the issue

Lough Derg, largest lake in Ireland has this foul smelling issue every summer. And I mean foul, bear in mind unlike Sandymount this is a prime tourist destination.

The issue is algae, too much nitrogen in the water so when temperatures rise, the growth of algae explodes and of course, it then washes up.
So toxic that when dogs who eat the algae have died horrible deaths from it and people who swim get rashes. Our county council issues warnings on this every summer

No bull****, we even had a lobby group SOLD (Save our Lough Derg)

Now OP you jumped to a conclusion and blamed sewage.
Hey, the same was done here and farmers blamed for spreading slurry.
It's not the case though.

Unlike us, the Minister for Environment is in your area so go see the man!

Waste water from treatment plants, raw sewrage and slurry, all contain high levels of NITROGEN.
So yes, while high levels of nitrogen are the food on which the algae eat, the high levels of nitrogen are there because of... dun dun dun, sewrage, treated water and slurry contaminating the water.

starbelgrade

Dublin stinks? Hardly breaking news.

John_Rambo

Dionysus wrote: »

completely unacceptable...I haven't heard a single word in the media giving out about it

It's aaaawful, but sometimes nature stinks. (the media might know about this) Ever smell a whale blow? It stinks, ever smell fox ****? It stinks... Sorry about the wake up call, but it's not all roses and perfume. Animals die and rot, algae and seaweed also rot. spent two hours in the water on Monday and amazingly I survived!

Man up.

starbelgrade

John_Rambo wrote: »

Ever smell a whale blow? ever smell fox ****?

Surprisingly enough, no.

Degsy

Remember the causeway that was built linking Bull island with the mainland?

My grandparents lived on the seafront in clontarf from 1940 and only started noticing the stink after the causeway was built..it means the sea can no longer wash through from one end of the island to the other but has caused extensive silting resulting in shallower water and presumably higher bacterial activity in the bay.
Bull island is getting bigger and the water is getting shallower around it..sice i was a kid i've noticed a 100 metre increase in the sloblands that was once sandy beach.

Terry

It's all to do with D4 heads loving the smell of their own farts.

gurramok

Phooooookk!

Smell has migrated to Ringsend now, pending its border crossing to the northside. Hold your breath people!

seensensee

It appears that sewage is the main culprit for the smell...
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/sewerage-plant-that-cost-euro300m-needs-to-be-upgraded-2275698.html

Of course the effluent feeds stinking rotten algae too.

starbelgrade

gurramok wrote: »

Phooooookk!

Smell has migrated to Ringsend now, pending its border crossing to the northside. Hold your breath people!

In fairness, how would you notice any difference in Ringsend?

Gary4279

starbelgrade wrote: »

Dublin stinks? Hardly breaking news.

Bogger land stinks......................................ALOT!!

Mike 1972

Am I the only one who initially misread this thread title and thought it was about Dublin Bus

Cheap Thrills!

Dionysus wrote: »

What is the reason for this problem continuing?

Southsiders stink!!

starbelgrade

Gary4279 wrote: »

Bogger land stinks......................................ALOT!!

Great comeback dude.

That was like, totally awesome.