BEACHES IN Co Cork affected by E.coli will not be open to swimmers until at least tomorrow as Cork County Council waits for test results on water samples taken yesterday.
People are being asked not to swim at Garrettstown, Redbarn, Garryvoe, Coolmaine near Kilbrittain, Oysterhaven and the Front Strand and Claycastle in Youghal until the restrictions are lifted. Public notices banning swimming were first posted by Cork County Council last Friday. It is thought the spike in E.coli levels was caused by the bad weather that hit the south of the country last week. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Health Service Executive are liaising with the council on the water tests.
Youghal councillor and mayor of Co Cork Barbara Murray said she was confident the situation would improve by tomorrow.
She said a waste treatment plant was a priority for Youghal, with two strands in the town losing their blue-flag status arising out of the absence of such a facility. Claycastle and Front Strand lost their blue flags after failing to meet the water quality criteria set by An Taisce for the international 25th anniversary Blue Flag Awards announced earlier this year. Untreated waste is being pumped directly into the sea in Youghal.
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Phil Hogan has pledged that €18 million will be invested in a wastewater treatment plant in Youghal. The proposed scheme will provide improved wastewater treatment infrastructure in the town and its environs which will meet national standards for sewage treatment.
It is widely accepted it will be a number of years before Youghal’s blue flags will be reinstated because of guidelines requiring the recording of water quality to be of the highest standards for three consecutive years.
Three of the E.coli-affected strands at Garrettstown, Garryvoe and Redbarn are blue flag beaches. The flag is a voluntary eco label awarded to more than 3,500 beaches and marinas in 33 countries in the northern hemisphere.
Yesterday Fianna Fáil councillor and mayor of Bandon Gillian Coughlan expressed her concern that the seven beaches in Co Cork had been shut due to poor quality water. “This is a hugely concerning situation which needs to be resolved quickly. It’s the high tourist season and the last thing we need is seven of the most popular beaches in Cork to be closed for swimming.”
She said the Minister for the Environment needed to take action quickly and work with Cork County Council, the HSE, An Taisce and the EPA to ascertain the causes of the presence of E.coli. "Detailed analysis needs to be carried out and steps must be taken to ensure this problem does not arise again.
“While the amount of rainfall has been unusually high in the past number of months, we should be prepared for the consequences of this.”