Swimming enthusiasts are being cautioned to steer clear of a well-liked swimming location in the southern part of Dublin for the next couple of days. A persistent ‘do not swim’ advisory was proclaimed by the Council of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County for the Blackrock Seafront on Monday morning. As per the council’s announcement, they’ve recommended the general public to refrain from swimming at the location in response to the water sample outcomes taken on 10th July following a hefty rainfall. The cautioning will remain active until Wednesday.
The yearly official swimming season spans from June 1st to September 15th. Further water sampling for bathing will happen on Tuesday at various locations including Killiney, Seapoint, Whiterock, Forty Foot, Sandycove, Blackrock Baths Shore, Dún Laoghaire Baths, Collemore Harbour, and Corbawn Strand. The sample outcomes from previous instances on July 8th exhibited excellent water quality at all aforementioned locales.
Other East Coast beaches reported to have top-class water quality include Dollymount Strand, North Bull Wall, Half Moon, Shelley Banks, South of Bray Harbour, The Cove Greystones, Sutton, Bray South Promenade, Claremont Beach, Portmarnock, Skerries and Rush. The council further stated that water quality at earmarked swimming sites is frequently checked throughout the season.
For water quality assurance, tests are performed targeting two specific indicator bacteria, e-coli and intestinal enterococci. These outcomes are classified as excellent, good, sufficient, and poor. Despite this, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) beaches website has indicated swimming restrictions at Sandymount Strand, Merrion Strand, Balbriggan’s Front Strand Beach and Loughshinny Beach. Additionally, five other locations nationwide also have swimming restrictions in place.