This article is from page 8 of the 2012-05-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
IT WAS mixed news about the quality of the county’s bathing waterways, when the EPA published its quality report on Thursday.
The once bathing water quality blackspot of the county – Ballyalla Lake – has improved its water quality to acceptable. The news was not as good, however, for the White Strand in Miltown Malbay, which was the only one of Clare’s 11 bathing areas to fail the tes`t. Paul Moroney, Senior Engineer, Clare County Council, explained, “Nine samples were taken at this beach during the 2011 bathing water season. One sample out of the nine exceeded guideline and mandatory pollution limits. The sample was taken on June 7, 2011. At the end of the season, a compliance percentage rate is calculated, upon which this location was 89 per cent compliant with the mandatory limits. However, this exceeded the acceptable allowable failure rate of 95 per cent.”
“The limits only failed on one occasion during the entire season and all other results were in the ‘good status’ for the season. The weather in the days preceding the test was wet, with in excess of 15mm of rain falling in the region. It was deemed at the time that the reason for the failure was most likely due to high rainfall and wash-off from land,” he added.
The 10 bathing areas around Clare that were found to have complied with the minimum standards in 2011 included Ballycuggeran (Lough Derg), Ballyalla Lake (Ennis), Cappa Pier (Kilrush), Bishopsquarter, White Strand (Doonbeg), Kilkee, Spanish Point, Lahinch, Fanore and Mountshannon (Lough Derg).
“In particular, the council is pleased that Ballyalla Lake had good results in 2011 and is working to ensure that that improved status is maintained this year and for the future,” said Mr Moroney. “The bathing water results show that Clare County Council’s bathing waters have excellent quality. In the unlikely event that a result fails, Clare County Council implements a protocol to warn bathers of the failures, including advice to bathers that the water is unsafe for bathing. This was done at White Strand Milltown Malbay last June when the test result was obtained,” he said.