Improved beach expecting to fly coveted Blue flag
With the tourist season winding down for 2006, the local authority, business people and residents of Tramore in county Waterford are very hopeful that its coveted blue flag status will be restored.
The water quality in Tramore is now of Blue Flag quality, council officials say. Its sparked a wave of renewed hope among townspeople that it will further boost the town’s immense appeal.
The council has been conducting its own surveys of the water over the past months and have found it to be consistently good. It was not one of the three Waterford beaches to achieve the quality mark this year.
Council engineer, Pat McCarthy, says work on the new sewage scheme for the town is progressing exceptionally well. The design/build/operate contract is for 18 months with work beginning at the start of the year.
“The contract was awarded last December and is going very well. Next summer, the new scheme should be operational and treating the waste water from Tramore. It will go out through a new outfall pipe which has already been constructed but is not yet in use,” he said.
News that the sewage scheme should be complete by next summer will help improve the water quality, town mayor, Anne-Marie Power, says. She added that it is vital for the local economy.
“Visitors to Tramore are becoming more and more involved in water sports.
“We have had our problems in the past but the water now seems to be consistently clear. The Chamber has also set up a Blue Flag Alliance and they are lobbying hard,” she said in an interview with WLR FM.
