Positive findings from beach reports
Beaches in Waterford reported a high quality of water in 2023.
In a recently published report about bathing water quality in Ireland during 2023, Waterford beaches ranked positively.
Each year, Waterford City and County Council take samples of bathing waters just before, and during the bathing season. Water quality at our beaches are ranked as excellent, good, sufficient or poor.
In County Waterford, Clonea Beach ranked ‘Excellent’ this year, as did Ardmore Beach, Youghal Front Strand Beach, Guillamene, Annestown, Woodstown and Newtown Cove. Dunmore Strand ranked ‘Good’, along with Counsellors Strand, Tramore Beach, Bunmahon Beach, Annestown, Stradbally and Boatstrand.
Bunmahon in County Waterford and Duncannon in County Wexford ranked ‘Sufficient’.
The majority of bathing waters across the country received an excellent or good quality standard. 97% of the 148 identified bathing waters met or exceeded the minimum required standard. Just five bathing waters were deemed poor, up two from 2022, and these beaches will have a swimming restriction for the 2024 season. Two of these beaches were in areas monitored by Fingal County Council, whilst others were in areas monitored by Galway, Dublin and Donegal local authorities. Urban waste water was most frequently reported as the likely cause of incidents in 2023, followed by agricultural runoff and pollution entering the surface water collection system.
