asked the Minister for the Environment whether he has considered, in the context of the development plan for Dublin to be submitted for EC funding, the inclusion of an objective of achieving tertiary treatment of sewage effluent before discharge into Dublin Bay; and when this objective might be achieved.
Written Answers. - Dublin Bay Water Quality.
137.
The question of providing any additional sewage treatment and disposal arrangements which may be necessary to improve the condition of Dublin Bay will be considered in the context of the water quality management plan which is currently being prepared for the bay. The question of funding such improvements does not arise at this stage.
138.
asked the Minister for the Environment the number of locations at which there have been regular testing of water quality for swimming in the Dublin region in each of the past three years; the number of breaches of adequate standards which have been reported; and if he will make a statement regarding the prospects for testing and water quality during the swimming season of 1989.
During the 1986 and 1987 bathing seasons the beaches at Dollymount and Portmarnock were monitored for compliance with the national bathing water quality standards. In 1988, I made regulations giving legal effect to these standards and increasing the number of areas to be monitored in the Dublin region to nine, the additional beaches being those at Skerries, Portrane, Donabate, Portmarnock, Sutton, Dollymount, and Killiney.
In both 1986 and 1987 one beach was recorded for the faecal streptococci parameter at Dollymount from samples taken on 16 and 11 occasions respectively. Standards for transparency, salmonella and floating materials were each breached on one occasion during 1988 at this location. Also in 1988, breaches of microbiological standards occurred at Donabate on one occasion and at Sutton on two dates.
During the 1989 bathing season, a further three beaches will be monitored — Loughshinny, Rush (south beach) and Malahide.
Overall, bathing waters in the Dublin region have been of a high quality and the occasional breaches recorded for individual parameters have not given cause for concern on public health grounds.