This article is from page 12 of the 2008-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
CLARE’S bathing waters are bask- ing in the findings of the latest EU report into water quality.
Every single beach and bathing spot in the Banner county has been given a clean bill of health in the lat- est report from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Two beauty spots which lost their blue flags but regained them in 2006 – Mountshannon and Ballycuggera – were among the bathing places which got the highest accolade of “good quality”.
And despite Blue Flag problems in 2006 for Doonbeg due to coastal ero- sion, it’s waters also got top marks.
Councillor Pat Hayes (FF), who is on the county council’s area commit- tee for Mountshannon said he was “delighted to see that the water qual- ity is up to scratch. There has been much improvement in the quality of the water in Lough Derg in recent times and we need to keep working at that.”
The EPA’s Bathing Water Quality in Ireland Report 2007 lists 97 per cent of 131 bathing areas assessed nationally as being full compliance with European standards.
The score is one of the highest the country has enjoyed in the last 10 years. In previous years Ireland had scored between 79 per cent and 92 per cent compliance.
In Clare, 100 per cent of bathing waters assessed complied with EU minimum standards including all the
top summer holiday spots such as Ballyallia Lake at Ennis, Ballycug- geran, Bishopsquarter, Cappagh Pier at Kilrush, Fanore, Kilkee, Lahinch, Mountshannon, Spanish Point, White Strand at Doonbeg and White Strand at Miltown Malbay.
All bar one of the bathing spots got the top mark of “good quality” and Ballyallia met the “acceptable qual- ity” grading, which is second from the top.
Just four beaches nationwide failed to make the cut. Balbriggan in Dub- lin, Youghal in Cork, Clifden and Na
Forbacha in Galway were all graded as being of “insufficient quality”.
A total of 15 beaches were down- eraded from being of good quality to being acceptable quality.
EPA programme manager Dr Michael Lehane said that while the “overall level of bathing water quality remains good, the EPA is concerned that a small number of bathing areas are consistently failing to meet the mandatory minimum standards”.