Donegal County Council is reviewing the continued participation of some of its finest beaches in the internationally recognised Blue Flag scheme.
Gaining Blue Flag status is generally regarded as a positive development, but other factors must also be borne in mind. These include the costs involved, the negative reaction if a Blue Flag is lost, the demands created on local infrastructure, and the difficulty in meeting certain criteria.
Donegal currently has 12 Blue Flag beaches, and could have many more. The qualification is conferred by an international foundation. The vast majority of the county's beaches meet all the water quality requirements, but may not meet other strict criteria concerning matters such as toilet or first aid facilities, access to the beach, traffic control, cleaning, or the provision of lifeguards and saving equipment.
The issue has been discussed by the council's water, environment and emergency strategic policy committee with a view to deciding a policy on the best way forward, and the matter is likely to come before a full council meeting shortly.
A county council spokesman confirmed it was "engaged in a review of activities in relation to beaches generally and is looking at all aspects, including difficulties and cost implications of maintaining Blue Flag status."
Donegal County Council currently spends around €450,000 a year on maintaining its Blue Flag beaches. If finances permitted, additional facilities could be put in place at many smaller beaches to allow them to meet the criteria.
A national standard, concentrating primarily on water quality, could be very beneficial for counties like Donegal. It could have a mixture of both Blue Flag and nationally recognised beaches.
With the criteria getting more demanding each year, there is also the danger that some beaches may lose their Blue Flag. Any loss of status tends to attract negative attention even though it is rarely to do with water quality. In the past, for example, Downings, one of Donegal's finest beaches, lost its Blue Flag due to problems regarding vehicles gaining access.
Councillors may have to consider whether trying to increase the number of Blue Flag beaches each year should be the sole objective.
Little research has been conducted in Ireland on just how beneficial the awarding of Blue Flags has been. Blue Flag status may have little influence on the numbers visiting some beaches. In many cases, their geographical location is the determining factor. Those closest to big towns get the biggest crowds.