Inland bathing areas achieved high EPA standards, attaining a 100per cent compliance rate with both the mandatory and guideline criteriaSwimming in our waters: the dangers
Water quality at the Republic's beaches remains among the best in Europe despite the loss of Blue Flags for popular resorts, which will be announced by An Taisce today.
The awards which are to be presented by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, will again see the west coast faring better than the more populous east coast - where just one Dublin beach, Seapoint in the south county, is expected to qualify.
Among the losers are both Brittas Bay beaches in Co Wicklow which are certain to lose flags following their dismal results in the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality report.
Brittas Bay south failed the mandatory value for both total and faecal coliform while Brittas Bay north failed on the level of detergents present in samples.
Both the EPA and An Taisce schemes are based on the same water quality data which is collected on a previous-year basis by local authorities.
While the An Taisce scheme also takes in litter, the presence or absence of a lifeguard and the condition of toilets, if a beach has already been named by the EPA report as failing to meet mandatory EU water quality standards, it cannot therefore qualify for a Blue Flag.
Alongside the Brittas Bay beaches, another beach named in the EPA report as failing to meet minimum standards is Ardmore, Co Waterford, which will therefore also fail in its bid to secure a Blue Flag.
The EPA report also named a number of beaches which attained EU mandatory, minimum standards, but which failed to meet a higher EU standard set as a guideline.
These included Lady's Bay and Port Arthur, Co Donegal; Clifden and Na Forbacha, Co Galway; Inny Waterville, Co Kerry; Laytown/Bettystown, Co Meath; Enniscrone, Co Sligo, and Clogga Beach, Co Wicklow.
This would put the chances of a Blue Flag for these latter beaches as doubtful, according to the data.
Also "doubtful" are most beaches in Dublin, except for Seapoint, where the Minister is to present the awards. Seapoint previously held a Blue Flag before losing it in 2002.
It is likely to be the only Dublin beach to achieve a Blue Flag in 2003, following the decision by Portrane - the only Dublin beach to receive one last year - not to apply.
In Dublin, the €300 million Dublin Bay project which ties in waste water from Howth and the north city with that from as far south as Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey, will be fully commissioned by the Taoiseach and the Lord Mayor, Councillor Dermot Lacey, later this month.
This is expected to have a major impact on beaches in the bay area, particularly Dollymount and Merrion strands. Because the Blue Flags are awarded on a previous-year basis, the results of the Dublin Bay project will not be seen until the next year.
A spokeswoman for the project said it was hoped to secure Blue Flags in next year's competition.
Inland bathing areas achieved a high standard in the EPA report for the first time in recent years, attaining a 100 per cent compliance rate with both the mandatory and guide criteria.
As a result, hopes are high for blue flag status for beaches in some of the larger Shannon lakes.
Swimming in our waters: the dangers
Swimming is popular and usually healthy. In theory though, if someone is ill, the water can be contamin- ated for everyone who is swimming in the same location. In practice, water in lakes, rivers and hot tubs poses a greater threat than swimming pools or the sea.The greatest risk to health comes from faecal contamination. This can be due to children having a faecal accident or it may be caused by the leakage of sewage or animal faeces into water.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have been gathering information on water illness outbreaks in the US for 20 years. Diarrhoea is the most frequently reported symptom. It is caused by a range of microbes including E.coli, giardia lamblia, shigella as well as a bug called cryptospori- dium which is now recognised as a growing cause of water-borne gastroenteritis.
E.coli and other bacteria are sensitive to chlorine and are generally not a risk in swimming pools. However, diarrhoea linked to E.coli has been reported after lake swimming. Cryptosporidiae are resistant to chlorine and are associated with water- borne illnesses in swimming pools and water parks.
A Dutch study found a link between the level of gastroenteritis among swimmers in a triathlon and the level of E.coli contamination in fresh water.
An E.coli contamination of 335/100 ml of water appeared to be the trigger for significant symptoms among the 800 triathletes. While it cannot be ruled out pending research, contamination levels reported in the EU Blue Flag scheme are probably of most relevance to lake-water locations.
Dr Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent