That this committee expresses concern at the poor water bathing water quality reported by Dublin City Council at the North Bull wall swimming shelters from October 2022 through to March 2023, we call on the Minister to extend the bathing season to all year around and we request that Uisce Éireann formally Irish Water use UV treatment all year, there are thousands of swimmers swimming all year around in Dublin Bay and they deserve clean water as does the marine life that Dublin Bay supports in this important Biosphere, we further call on the Minister to appoint Dublin Councillors and sea swimming reps to the Dublin Bay task force on bathing water
Minutes:
That this Area Committee expresses concern at the poor water bathing water quality reported by Dublin City Council at the North Bull wall swimming shelters from October 2022 through to March 2023, we call on the Minister to extend the bathing season to all year around and we request that Uisce Éireann formally Irish Water use UV treatment all year, there are thousands of swimmers swimming all year around in Dublin Bay and they deserve clean water as does the marine life that Dublin Bay supports in this important Biosphere, we further call on the Minister to appoint Dublin Councillors and sea swimming reps to the Dublin Bay task force on bathing water”
Reply
The Environmental Protection Division of Dublin City Council does recognise and share the concern expressed by the Councillor in relation to our water quality monitoring reports in recent months pertaining to the North Bull Wall bathing area.
The North Bull Wall has been assessed on a number of occasions in recent years to determine its suitability as a designated bathing location. Both in 2020 & 2021, the assessment of the bathing location concluded that it failed to meet the criteria set out in the Bathing Water Regulations SI 79 of 2008 so as to classify it as a ‘designated bathing area’. See previous assessment reports HERE. (https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/environment/protection-water-bodies/water-pollution-control/water-pollution-control-reports).
Nonetheless, Dublin City Council continues to monitor the water quality at this location (as an ‘other monitored water’), and report on that monitoring as though it were a designated location, reporting is presented both online at our information boards onsite.
Bathing water quality at the North Bull Wall is impacted by a number of contributing factors which are complex and diffuse in nature. The location itself resides on the mouth of the Liffey Estuary, which serves a sizeable drainage catchment. The Liffey is susceptible to pollution from various sources including, but not limited to, combined sewer overflows, unauthorised discharges and surface water runoff, upstream contributions. We of course recognise that the Ringsend WWTP is situated within the Lower Liffey Estuary, which is operated by Úisce Eireann (UE) and licenced by the Environmental Protection Agency.
As observed, a deterioration in bathing water quality can occur outside of the designated bathing season in the winter months. This is during a period where rainfall volumes and intensities increase and daylight hours decrease, resulting in longer die-off rates of indictor bacteria. For these reasons, Dublin City Council continues to recommend that bathing takes place at the designated bathing areas (nearby Dollymount Strand in this case).
Bathers are strongly encouraged to adhere to the 48 hour rule of thumb, where bathing should be restricted for 48 hours after heavy rainfall. This advice is available on the Dublin City Council website and the National EPA bathing water website.
The Protection of Water Bodies Office of Dublin City Council (within our Environmental Protection Division) will continue to undertake actions to identify and remediate sources of pollution across all of our river catchments, which we expect will lead to reducing pollution and improve water quality across Dublin City’ s administrative area. These activities include inter alia, misconnection inspections, trade effluent licencing, pollution investigation, development and delivery of Nature Based Solutions and the River Santry Restoration and Greenway Project. Further information on the functions and work carried out by our office can be found here.
The remaining queries with this motion are noted for the Minister’s attention, vis-a-viz the UV treatment at Ringsend Waste Water Treatment Plant and duration of the designated bathing season, however to note;
The Bathing Water Task Force is a non-statutory group with the intention of ensuring the ongoing and existing regulatory activities of the various agencies associated with Dublin Bay work in a focused and coordinated manner to identify, remediate or eliminate sources of pollution entering our bathing waters. Dublin City Council continues to report on our bathing season on an annual basis, with our most recent 2022 Bathing Water Summary Report available on our website.
Contact: Roy O’Connor, Senior Engineer, Protection of Water Bodies Office
Tel: 01-222 2930
Email: roy.oconnor@dublincity.ie & waterpollution@dublincity.ie
Order: Agreed. A letter will issue to the Minister.