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Tipperary County Council -Public Participation: Identification of Bathing Waters

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New bathing waters
Press Release
Environment
25 May 2023

Tipperary County Council is inviting public participation in the identification of new bathing waters in Co. Tipperary under the Bathing Water Directive and Bathing Water Quality Regulations S.I 79 of 2008

Local authorities are required under the 2008 Regulations to identify official bathing areas in their area every year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use.

The Directive requires that water quality at all identified bathing waters meets stringent microbiological standards in order to protect the health of people who choose to bathe there. These laws also require that the local authority prepares detailed descriptions or profiles for each of the identified bathing water sites that describe not just the bathing area but also areas in the surface waters catchment area that could be a source of pollution. The profiles include an assessment the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.

To help with this process, Tipperary County Council are asking people who swim at beaches, lakes and rivers to tell them if they think they should maintain existing designated bathing waters if any, or give a new official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming, but not identified at the moment.

If you are a regular swimmer and want to help your Council decide which bathing areas should be classified as such, it might be helpful to consider the following:

  • How your swimming area has been used up to now;
  • How many people use the site;
  • What facilities exist at the site and how accessible it is;
  • Any safety issues.

Comments are invited from interested parties.

Please submit your submissions to colette.moloney@tipperarycoco.ie

Closing date for submissions to Tipperary County Council is 7 th June 2023

For further information please contact:

Paula O’ Dwyer, Executive Scientist, Environment & Climate Action Department

paula.odwyer@tipperarycoco.ie