*Photograph: John Mangan
SICKNESS is occurring because of the discharge of wastewater into the sea across North and West Clare, a local councillor has claimed.
Over the past three years, there have been eight separate do now swim notices issued for Lahinch, Kilkee, White Strand (Miltown Malbay), Spanish Point and White Strand (Doonbeg).
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, Kilkee has been hit with swimming bans lasting a combined 21 days. Two of these notices were directly attributed to a malfunction at the sewage pumping station caused by a burst in the rising main.
Overland and diffuse runoff after heavy rain has been cited by Clare County Council’s environment and water section for the other prohibition notices, the level of which “varied over the duration due to fluctuating bacterial levels as a result of rainfall”.
An examination of the daily discharge of wastewater treatment facilities over the last two years at Lahinch, Ennistymon and Kilkee was sought by Cllr Liam Grant (GP) before this month’s meeting of the West Clare Municipal District.
He stated, “Many of the blue flag beaches in our county have been closed due to poor water quality over the summer months. I believe this has a lot to do with wastewater treatment facilities not being fit for purpose”.
Responsibility for the operation of wastewater treatment plans in Clare rests with Irish Water.
Cyril Feeney of the Council’s environment section explained that the issuing of advisory notices on bathing were issued by the local authority, “the beaches were never closed but the public were on occasion advised not to bathe because of elevated bacterial pollution levels”.
Cllr Grant admitted he had been “worrying for a long time about the discharge into beaches”. He referenced a 2020 report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which flagged “inadequate infrastructure” in the county.
“We have the wastewater infrastructure of a Third World country. That’s down to a failure to invest over the last 30 years. I’m trying to get Irish Water to prioritise Ennistymon, Kilkee and Lahinch. People are getting sick and that’s due to effluent being pumped out into the water, Grant said
While seconding the proposal, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) said it was “absolutely critical” to upgrade wastewater treatment plants “to another level”. He acknowledged the ongoing work in Liscannor and Kilfenora but said Kilkee has been left waiting.
Kilrush representative, Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) stressed that only one of the notices was linked to the malfunction.
Data is needed on a daily and weekly basis when it comes to such notices, Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) maintained. He questioned, “are they to do with wwater infrastructure or other causes, if not assumptoons are made and assumptions are not always the fact”.
Little information exists online when it comes to the testing of water quality in the coastal areas of Clare, the Kilkee man added. “Unless we have those details we don’t have a picture of what is happening”.
Swimmers in the sea must move with their head up “because you don’t want to swallow what is coming towards you,” when going from Liscannor to Lahinch, Grant flagged. He said the existing wastewater infrastructure at Lahinch was not adequate, “rainfall has an affect but I don’t buy that narrative, it is coming into the bathing areas”.
