Familiar with any of these places?
Bathing waters at four beaches in Ireland are at risk of periodic pollution due to waste water discharges, according to a new report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Waste water contributed to poor quality bathing water at two beaches in Dublin and two beaches in Galway, namely Merrion Strand and Loughshinny Beach (Dublin) and Clifden Beach and Ballyloughane Beach (Galway).
According to the EPA report, when bathing waters are classified as poor, it means that there is a risk of periodic pollution, with the potential to cause illness such as skin rash and stomach upset.
In the report on Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2016, released on Tuesday, the EPA says that Ireland’s failure to address wastewater deficiencies causes an unacceptable risk to the environment and public health.
The findings in the report included the information below:
- 50 large towns and cities where waste water treatment failed to meet EU standards. This includes Dublin, which needs a major upgrade of Ringsend treatment plant.
- 44 areas discharging untreated sewage. Counties Cork and Donegal account for nearly half of these areas. Five areas currently discharging untreated waste water are expected to be connected to treatment plants by the end of 2017. These areas are Youghal, Belmullet, Rush, Bundoran and Killybegs.
- 59 areas where waste water is the sole threat to rivers, lakes and coastal waters that are at risk of not achieving good status. Almost one quarter of these are in counties Donegal and Galway.
- 4 areas where waste water contributed to poor quality bathing water. The affected beaches include Merrion Strand and Loughshinny Beach.
- 12 areas where improvements are needed to protect critically endangered freshwater pearl mussels in rivers such as the Blackwater and the Nore.
- 3 areas where disinfection of waste water is required to safeguard shellfish habitats.
Commenting on the report Mr Gerard O’Leary, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Wastewater from over half our population failed to meet environmental standards. For many years Ireland failed to address the deficiencies in wastewater treatment.
“Substantial and sustained investment is now required to protect our valuable waterways and protect public health.”
Darragh Page, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement added: “Ireland’s environment is at risk because waste water is not treated to the necessary standards, even though the final deadline to meet these standards was 2005.
“New or upgraded treatment systems are required in some areas. In other areas, there is already sufficient treatment capacity in place, but the management of the treatment systems needs to improve.”
You can read the report in full here.
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