Louth council challenged on Blackrock beach concerns: ‘Are we digging our heads in the sand by not testing the water?’
Louth County Council is facing renewed calls to introduce water quality testing at Priest’s Beach in Blackrock, amid concerns over potential pollution along the coast.
The issue was raised by Cllr Sionainn McCann at the local authority’s monthly meeting, where she pointed to recent media coverage highlighting poor water quality at the beach.
“Everyone had read” the reports over the past week, she said. Cllr McCann acknowledged that the beach is not currently classified as an official bathing area, but stressed that this distinction does not reflect the reality of how the beach is being used.
“I know that we don’t test it because technically we don’t see it as bathing water, but there are people swimming on Priest’s Beach every single day,” she said.
She told the meeting that sea swimming has long been a feature of life in Blackrock. “Concerns about the water quality haven’t just started because people are swimming in the sea. People have always swam there,” she said.
Questioning the council’s approach, Cllr McCann added: “Just because we say it isn’t a designated bathing water doesn’t mean people aren’t swimming there.
“Are we not digging our heads in the sand by not testing the water?” she added.
The councillor also highlighted the impact of the recent reports, saying that without local testing the authority are unable to respond effectively.
“It didn’t look good that all these news articles are coming out saying the water is rife, that it is terrible. We don’t have anything to come back to those people with because we are not testing it,” she said.
Cllr McCann argued that the local authority has a responsibility to ensure public safety and confidence in the area. “In my opinion it is our responsibility to ensure the water is clean, and I really think we should look at testing it,” she said.
Responding to the concerns, Director of Services David Hanratty said that water quality is monitored under a broader marine monitoring programme carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other state bodies.
He told councillors that the status of coastal water at Blackrock is currently rated as “moderate”, which he described as the second-highest classification and “not unusual for coastal water”.
The meeting also heard that the council has seen “no evidence” of pollution affecting water quality at the location.
Mr Hanratty confirmed that Priest’s Beach does not hold Designated Bathing Water status.
The council previously undertook a public consultation on bathing water designation in Blackrock, receiving more than 90 submissions as part of the process.
Mr. Hanratty explained that the designation process involves a range of criteria beyond water quality, including infrastructure, available facilities and safety considerations.
The meeting heard that Priest’s Beach had not yet met the criteria required for Designated Bathing Water classification.