The Environmental Protection Agency has indicated that Ireland’s beaches are coming under increasing strain due to intense rainfall events. Heavy downpours, which are expected to intensify due to climate change, necessitate the integration of climate resilience into Ireland’s beach management strategies, given they trigger beach closures aimed at safeguarding public health, the agency’s yearly bathing water quality review reveals.
Last year, heavy rainfall hit an all-time high in July, with storms in August, leading to more beach closures than in prior years. Nonetheless, there was a high standard of water quality at the beaches overall, with 143 out of a total 148 monitored sites (97%) satisfying or surpassing the minimum criteria, identical to numbers in 2022. The number of bathing sites with splendid water quality was 114 (77%), a drop from 117 in 2022.
Beaches labelled as “poor” for water quality went up from three in 2022 to five (3.5%) last year. The primary problems at these beaches are wastewater overflows and misconnections – instances of sewage being discharged into surface water drains rather than into sewage systems. Plans to tackle these issues must be put in place by the local authorities.
The beaches marking poor ratings were Balbriggan Front Strand beach, Co Dublin; Lady’s Bay (Buncrana, Co Donegal), and Trá na mBan (An Spidéal, Co Galway), also recorded as poor in 2022, plus Loughshinny and Sandymount beaches in Co Dublin.
Severe rainfall affects the quality of bathing waters as it provokes wastewater overflows and runoff from urban and agricultural regions, inducing short-term water quality degradation. Various factors like urban wastewater, agricultural runoff, dog fouling, misconnections causing wastewater overflow from adjacent properties, and algal blooms were to blame for beach closures last year, with urban wastewater incidents reported most often.
Dr Eimear Cotter, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of evidence and assessment, has stressed the necessity of integrating climate resilience into bathing water management to mitigate pollution risks after extreme rainfall. She underscored the responsibility of all sectors, including Uisce Éireann, local authorities, and the farming industry, in curbing overflows.
Highlighting the role of beach shutdowns in preserving the health of swimmers, Dr Cotter urged local authorities to enhance their comprehension of the factors that could affect beaches, particularly with changing rainfall patterns.
In the previous year, the EPA had recorded 45 pollution instances, a marked increase from 34 cases reported in 2022. These episodes carry the risk of contamination and lead to swimming restrictions on the beaches until water samples affirm the safety of the water.
In 2023, local authorities issued 228 “preliminary warning” notices on beaches, signalling the possibility of short-term pollution due to heavy rainfall. This figure was up by 42 from a year earlier. The warnings are withdrawn once water samples indicate the water quality is up to standard.
Local authorities and Uisce Éireann are actively working on improving the water quality at these beaches. To ensure these coasts are safe for swimming, their plans need to be fully executed, as emphasised by an EPA report.
Last year, no additional bathing water sites were spotted, whilst almost 80 lesser-known and less popular beaches continue to be monitored—they aren’t formally managed by local authorities.
Real-time updates about the quality of bathing water and monitoring results can be found on www.beaches.ie during the bathing water season that runs from June 1st to September 15th.
One of the coastlines that had ‘poor’ quality bathing water was Sandymount Strand in Dublin City Council.
The foremost culprits for contamination include incorrect sewers and sewage overflows, which corrupt the streams leading to the bathing waters, as well as dog and bird excrement. In an effort to address sources causing pollution in Dublin Bay, the Dublin Bay Bathing Water Taskforce, with the local authority at its helm, was inaugurated in 2019. This resulted in a consciousness campaign, “Leave only Paw Prints,” underlining the effects of dog fouling. There are continual efforts to discern and rectify misconnections. Strategic enhancements to the wastewater network have been made by Uisce Éireann and the work to tackle the issues with urban wastewater is ongoing.
In Balbriggan, at Front Strand Beach under the authority of Fingal County Council, the culprits of pollution include misconnections into the stormwater networks, sewage overflows contaminating streams leading to bathing waters, dog fouling, and other animals. Uisce Éireann is in the process of upgrading the pumping station and enhancing the nearby sewer network.
At Loughshinny Beach, also under the Fingal County Council’s authority, pollution originates from inadequate septic systems, sewage overflows, misconnections into stormwater networks, dog fouling, and other animals. The local authority is planning initiatives to address these issues and to detect contamination sources from streams.
In Lady’s Bay, Buncrana under Donegal County Council, periodically, untreated wastewater from the town’s collection system is the chief source of pollution. A comprehensive upgrade of the collecting system to elevate its efficacy and augment storage for wastewater collected during heavy rainfall is being pursued by Uisce Éireann.
Trá na mBan, An Spidéal falls under the authority of Galway County Council. Urban wastewater is a major source of pollution here, along with agricultural run-off and septic tanks. A fresh wastewater treatment facility at Spiddal was erected and commenced operation in November by Uisce Éireann. Furthermore, Galway County Council has vowed to persist with farm inspections and address septic tank issues.