Business owners should check water

Ladies’ Beach water quality downgraded from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’ in EPA report

IRISH Water is warning business owners to be extremely vigilant when reopening their premises as water in their plumbing systems could have become contaminated.

A number of serious issues can arise when buildings are left unused for a significant period of time. These include leaks that cause damage to premises and stock; blockages in pipes from fats, oils or greases; dead rodents in water tanks that can cause contamination; and stagnant water in plumbing and cooling systems that can create serious health risks such as Legionnaires’ disease.

“The safe re-opening of buildings will require the use of considerable amounts of water, which is one of the reasons we emphasised the need for water conservation in the home recently. The priority must be the health and safety of anyone entering or working in a recently closed building so business owners and facility managers should take all the necessary steps,” said Yvonne Harris of Irish Water.

Several steps businesses should take have been identified including flushing water pipes by running taps; cleaning all drinking water outlets; flushing all toilets, and running water through sinks and shower basins; and inspecting all storage tanks and cisterns, and draining or cleaning them if necessary.

Full information on all necessary precautions can be found at water.ie

THE Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) report for 2019 has downgraded Ballybunion North (Ladies Beach) from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Good’ – the first time it received a downgraded mark since 2016.

The ‘Bathing Water in Ireland Report’ gives a yearly overview of bathing water quality that determines ‘Excellent’ as the highest and cleanest position, while ‘Good’ means the water quality is ‘generally’ good.

However, Ballybunion South maintained its ‘Excellent’ mark for a fourth successive year. The announcement will come as a disappointment for the popular north Kerry tourist destination as it looks to salvage what it can of this year’s tourist season in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Overall, a total of 13 Kerry beaches maintained their ‘Excellent’ classification in the report: Derrynane, Fenit, Ventry, Inch, Kells, Maharabeg, Rossbeigh White Strand, and White Strand Cahersiveen, Ballyheigue, Banna Strand, Castlegregory, Ballinskelligs, and Ballybunion South. Inny Strand in Waterville, which was classed as ‘Excellent’ in 2016, has maintained its ‘Good’ reclassification for the past three years.

Cúas Crom beach was newly identified in 2019 and is to be included in the report for 2020.