Agenda item

That Dublin North Central Area Committee support the designation of the south side of North Bull wall as an EU bathing area.

 

Minutes:

That Dublin North Central Area Committee support the designation of the south side of North Bull wall as an EU bathing area. Designation to be achieved by 2023 and seconded by Cllr. Naoise O’Muiri.

 

 

            Reply:

 

Under European and Irish law, local authorities must identify official bathing areas in their area every year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use. This includes monitoring designated bathing waters to meet stringent microbiological water quality standards. To help with this process, Dublin City Council (DCC) asks the public to tell them if they think they should maintain existing designated bathing waters designations or give a new official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming, but not identified at the moment. This is undertaken through a public consultation process.

 

This year DCC undertook a public consultation process from 19th May to 22nd June (2020). During this period, 44 submissions were received for the designation of the North Bull Wall as a bathing water. This compares to two submissions received in 2019 and one received in 2018.

 

Dublin City Council’s Water Pollution Control Section commits to review the applications for designation of the North Bull Wall bathing as per the requests from members of the public. The assessment will follow previous procedures and will be carried out in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidance document “A framework to assist Local Authorities in the assessment of submissions for the identification of new bathing waters” and the requirements set out in the Bathing Water Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 79 which transpose Directive 2006/8/EC). Other considerations taken into account in the assessment include the historic water quality data and local knowledge of complex pressures associated with the bathing water located at the mouth of the River Liffey.

 

The 2020 assessment of the North Bull Wall for Designation concluded that DCC cannot designate North Bull Wall as an EU identified bathing area in light of consistent issues with poor water quality. Instead, it was deemed appropriate to continue to categorise the North Bull Wall as an “other monitored water”. We attach for noting the assessment of the North Bull Wall which was undertaken following public consultation in 2019. We are in the process of compiling the full report for 2020, and this will be made available to the Councillors in August. Please note that there must be 4 consecutive years of acceptable bathing water results for designation.

 

 

Dublin City Council manages six bathing waters in total, two of which are designated under the Bathing Water Regulations S.I. 79 of 2008 and four of which are categorised as “other monitored waters”.

 

Dublin City Council’s existing designated bathing waters are:

·             Dollymount Strand, and;

·             Sandymount Strand

 

Dublin City Council’s four “other monitored waters” are:

·             Merrion Strand;

·             North Bull Wall;

·             Shelly Banks, and;

·             Half Moon.

 

DCC take samples at all six locations regardless of designation 20 times during the official bathing season and approximately fortnightly thereafter. Results of sampling are available on the National Bathing Water Website www.beaches.ie or on the DCC website www.dublincity.ie/bathingwater. Hardcopy results are also placed in the information cabinets at the entrances to each bathing water. 

 

Coilín O’Reilly

Director of Services    

North City

 

Contact:            Colm Fitzpatrick, Senior Engineer, Drainage Services

Email:              colm.fitzpatrick@dublincity.ie

 

 

Order: Motion Amended to say designation to be achieved by 2023 and seconded by Cllr. Naoise O’Muiri.