A south Dublin senator has welcomed the signing into law of new regulations to allow for year-round testing of bathing water quality in Dublin Bay and around Ireland.
“We know very well here in Dublin Bay, in places like Seapoint and the Forty Foot, and Sandycove and Vico, and even Blackrock, people swim all year round,” says Finé Gael’s Barry Ward in a post on social media. “So there’s no point in just testing during the summer period [between 1 June and 15 September].
“New regulations will mean the local authority, being Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, [will be empowered] to identify bathing places and extend the bathing period to all year round so we’ll have testing all year round.”
Ward continued: “Generally we have very good water quality here in Dublin Bay but you need to know when you go swimming that it’s going to be safe and all-year-round testing is a way to make sure that’s the case.
The senator gives credit to the “many campaigners” around Dublin like Gerry Jones and the SOS Dublin Bay group have been pushing for these changes “to get safer water and better water testing”.
Ward adds that he will be keeping a close eye on how the local authority makes use of the new legislation.
