Ireland among worst in Europe for bathing water quality

Some 274 inland and coastal areas in Ireland were examined as part of the study. Picture Dan Linehan

Ireland is in the bottom third of European nations when it comes to bathing water of the highest quality, an assessment of almost 22,000 coastal and inland swimming spots has found.

Just under under 77% of areas in Ireland classed as suitable for bathing were deemed as being of excellent quality, compared to the EU average of around 85%, according to figures from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Countries such as Poland and Slovakia were found to have 50% or less of their respective bathing waters deemed to be of excellent quality in 2021, ranking at the bottom of the list across Europe. 

Niamh McAuliffe takes her horse Sally for a trop in the sea on a hot afternoon at Garrylucas, Co Cork, Ireland. Picture: David Creedon

By contrast, Austria, Malta, Greece, and Croatia all had scores of more than 95% when it came to water quality of the highest standard when it comes to swimming, with Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, Finland, Italy, and Spain all scoring around 87% or more.

Some 274 areas in Ireland, both coastal and inland, were examined as part of the assessment.

The EEA said that there have been big improvements throughout the continent in the past 30 years. 

"The percentage of European bathing waters achieving at least 'sufficient' quality – the minimum quality standard set by the directive – increased from just 74% in 1991 to over 95% in 2003 and has remained quite stable since then," it said.

The directive refers to the 1976 and then 2006 law set out by the EU that compels member states to ensure water is safe for swimmers and bathers in areas outside of specially designated facilities such as pools. 

Harbour View, Cork. Picture David Creedon

Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with the HSE and local authorities to ensure that designated beaches and lakes in Ireland are safe to swim in.

According to the EPA, local authorities are responsible for managing and monitoring identified bathing waters, arranging for water samples to be taken and analysed throughout the bathing season. They must take samples once a month.

Across Europe, coastal waters fare slightly better than inland areas when it comes to water quality for bathing, due to natural defences and geographical factors, according to the EEA.

It said: "In the period 2015-2021, the share of bathing waters having an excellent status in Europe has been stable at 85-88% for coastal bathing waters; and at 77-81% for inland bathing waters.

The quality of coastal sites is generally better than that of inland sites due to the higher self-purification capacity of coastal areas. 

"Moreover, many central European inland bathing water sites are situated on relatively small lakes and ponds as well as rivers with a low flow, which, especially in the summer, are more susceptible than coastal areas to short-term pollution caused by heavy summer rains or droughts."

Ireland is among a number of countries to have some areas, albeit small, deemed as having poor quality water for bathing.

In 2021, 332 or 1.5% of bathing water sites in the EU were of poor quality, the EEA said, most often affected by short-term pollution.