With the recent revelations of untreated sewage being pumped into our oceans and reports of people all over the country getting sick, we have entered the gloomy world of bathing water.
Sign up for our free newsletter and never miss out on exciting shows in Dublin and beyond
With the recent revelations of untreated sewage being pumped into our oceans and reports of people all over the country getting sick, we have entered the gloomy world of bathing water.
A Dublin swimming coach revealed her concerns about sea swimmers because she said the water on the east coast has become visibly dirty.
Open water swimming coach Grainne McGrath teaches students through her Splashing to Swimming business.
The residents of Balbriggan said: "I traveled all over the coast in the summer, so I started in Louth and went to Balbriggan in Skerries.
"I have a swimmer who is very sick in the hospital. She is dripping water.
"We can't figure out which beach it is because she has done a lot of training, and we can't be sure which beach she is on.
"They often do these tests, and I have to pay close attention to the results. They once closed the entire beach."
As a swimming coach, Grainne said she was worried about getting into the water.
"Throughout the summer and last summer, I noticed that the water became very dirty," she added.
"I know some of them didn't even turn on the infrared light to kill the bacteria in the sewage.
"This is a clear concern. I grew up swimming in the Atlantic," she added.
"The water in the Atlantic Ocean tastes different from the water in the Irish Sea-I always find the water in the west to be fresher."
Although swimmers now flock to the beach all year round, only June 1 to September 15 is counted as the bathing season.
What is more worrying is that outside this window “no pollution test is required” and the ultraviolet rays used to kill bacteria in sewage pumped into Irish waters are turned off.
In November, the Environmental Protection Agency disclosed how sewage treatment in 12 cities and towns failed to meet EU standards aimed at protecting our biodiversity and the environment.
What is more worrying is that they described the situation of “34 towns and villages discharging untreated sewage into the environment every day” because their sewers are not connected to the treatment plant.
Our map shows the distance between these 34 emission points and the designated Irish Blue Flag beach for each swimming season.
But in addition to 34 problem areas, the Environmental Protection Agency told us: “There are many other public sewers in Ireland connected to treatment plants, but sometimes some untreated sewage collected in the sewers will be discharged into the river without reaching the treatment plant. In the ocean, for example, when an emergency safety valve is called a rainwater overflow, it will be activated to alleviate the excessive water flow caused by heavy rain."
Environmental regulators have expressed serious concern about the continuing delay in the classification of the problem by the Irish Water Supply Company in its 2020 Urban Wastewater Treatment Report.
But at the same time, sea swimmers, including Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, are worried that their health is not good due to repeated failure to clean up coastal waters.
Due to the rapid deterioration of the water quality of Dublin Bay and Capital Beach, Dublin SOS was established in 2020.
Due to harmful bacteria such as E. coli in the water, swimmers, divers, beach lovers and sailors have been calling for changes to the current system.
Their petition calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to "save our oceans" was signed by nearly 22,000 people.
After talking to Dublin SOS, Labour Party TD Ivana Bacik asked the government on October 21 why they had not fulfilled the “committed legislation” that allowed local authorities to “determine the bathing season to monitor the water quality of beaches and swimming areas” so that Yearly monitor water quality.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan revealed that "I was swimming in Dublin Bay last weekend and my ears were infected. Part of my mind was thinking-is there a connection between the two?" and agreed that this should happen. In Dell.
He said: "This is a public health issue. We now have a large number of people swimming throughout the year."
However, the government's policies regarding bathing season, testing and treatment remain unchanged.
Peter Whelehan from SOS in Dublin told The Star/Mirror that he knew that someone had lost his hearing after swimming on the city coastline, was admitted to the hospital and had a serious stomach problem.
We would like to see the UV treatment used at Ringsend throughout the year to kill bacteria during the bathing season.
"On September 15th, they shut it down," he explained.
"Not only should it not be turned off, but it rains more in autumn and winter, so it overflows more, so the water is dirty.
"No one will stop swimming on September 15. Any day of the week, any time of the year, you will see people swimming.
"They stopped the test and turned off the UV-we think this was negligent."
He also expressed concern that the UV treatment used to kill bacteria during the bathing season was shut down at the end of September 15.
Cian Hyland, a 40-year-old DunLaghaire man, said he fell ill twice in 2020 after swimming in a 40-foot lane and has now avoided.
He said for the first time: "I was sick for about five days and was bedridden for you. It's really bad-I haven't had this kind of disease for a long time.
"I have body temperature, like a very powerful stomach disease.
"I overcame this problem and didn't swim within forty feet for a long time, but I went back about three months later, swimming there for five consecutive days, and started to feel unwell on the fifth day.
"It was vomiting and diarrhea. It was not that strong, but it lasted for about three weeks. I couldn't eat normally, and I ended up losing about three-quarters of my stones.
"I don't have any proof that it came from the sea, but for me, I sank and fell ill the next day, which is completely coincidental.
"People always say not to swim within forty feet after heavy rain, because all the rain on the street has passed and Ringsend has overflowed.
"I just don't swim there anymore."
In its own words, the Irish Water Company, which "is responsible for treating wastewater and returning it safely to the environment", admits that "discharging untreated wastewater is an unacceptable practice."
The EPA report found that only 93% of their 1,000 factories were compliant with regulations.
They attribute the current chaos to the lack of investment in Ireland’s sewage infrastructure for decades, and say that “eliminating” this is their top priority.
They expressed that they hope to plan to add 22 new factories, 14 of which will start construction this year, and by 2025 will stop 95% of the original sewage discharge.
Not every plant has the last UV treatment on its emissions, but they said that a few plants are located in locations that meet the requirements of their EPA permits, that is, they should be turned on during the bathing season.
The Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which oversees Irish bathing water quality regulations (including the swimming season), stated that these regulations were established in 2008.
"The Ministry of Housing, local government and heritage officials are currently studying the most appropriate options to provide safe bathing water in winter and to improve the dissemination of information about bathing water quality, especially in the Dublin Bay area," a spokesperson added.
"Minister Noonan and O'Brien both met with some local interest groups and worked to develop a solution that would make the bathing season flexible and protect people who swim throughout the year."
They also stated that pollution testing can be carried out at the discretion of the local council, and some people in Dublin "monitor the waters outside the bathing season."