Water testing in Strandhill
CALLS have been made for the testing of the sea water for quality in Strandhill.
Under the Bathing Waters Directive and the Bathing Water Quality Regulations, 2008 the Council is obliged to monitor the water at five beaches in county Sligo but Strandhill is not one of them prompting calls for it to be included.
However, officials, feared this might lead to a ‘ normalisation’ of the beach in people’s eyes and encourage swimming there. The beach has seen several drownings over the years due to hazardous rip tides. However, it remains a popular surfing beach.
Clr Bree said that having read the Statutory Instrument relating to the Bathing Waters Directive and the Bathing Water Quality Regulations, it is clear that bathing waters to be monitored shall not include any waters in relation to which the authority has issues a permanent prohibition or advice against bathing. He said however that he saw no reason why the Council could not monitor the water quality outside of the regulations.
“Strandhill is one of the most popular surfing destinations on the West coast and it is used by hundreds of surfers every week. Surely we owe a duty of care to these surfers?” he asked.
Director of Services, Tom Kilfeather said Strandhill was not a bathing water and was not as straightforward as monitoring elsewhere. A very large area was used by surfers while there would also be health and safety concerns with regard to taking samples. Costs would also be substantial and there would be council staffing resource issues, he added.
Clr Bree said perhaps the contractor which carries out the sampling at the other five beaches could be asked for a quote to do Strandhill also next year. Mr Kilfeather said there was a danger to normalisation of Strandhill with regard to other bathing areas. “The last thing we want to do is to encourage bathers in Strandhill,” he said. The monitoring of the water could be misinterpreted and people could take comfort in it. He would also not be comfortable in asking his staff or a contractor to take samples in Strandhill, which must be done at a depth of one metre. Clr Sinead Maguire said she didn’t think sampling would encourage people to swim there. It was a premier surfing beach and hundreds take to the sea there safely. Mr Kilfeather undertook to look at the situation. Clr Bree said some foolish people did go into the water despite warnings.
“We certainly don’t want to normalise it,” he said.