INCREASED monitoring of water quality will help get a real picture of the water quality issue at the Warren Beach in Rosscarbery, a West Cork councillor said.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met with the Rosscarbery Waste Water Action Group over the issue recently, following ‘Do Not Swim’ warnings at the beach over the summer months due to fears of ecoli bacteria in the water.
Public meetings have taken place in Rosscarbery over the issue, with fingers pointed at Uisce Éireann, though they do not accept responsibility.
Uisce Éireann suggests a marine modelling survey should be carried out first to see what upgrades are needed at its nearby wastewater treatment facilities.
Social Democrats Cllr Isobel Towse said the EPA described the level of treatment at the wastewater plant, which discharges near the Warren, as ‘very primitive, with no tidal valve and no screening in place’.
Cllr Towse has tabled a motion for the next Council meeting on October 14th to increase monitoring at the site.
‘The committee had some very concise questions, and everyone came away with some agreed actions to take to progress the issue, including both the EPA and the local group writing to the Council to support my motion to increase monitoring at the site,’ said Cllr Towse.
‘There were two periods of three weeks at a time during the summer, between incidences of ecoli warnings and wet weather, where the water wasn’t tested at all. This is scandalous, and shows that the scale of the issue could be much worse and isn’t being documented, we just don’t know for certain without increased testing. For such a popular, lifeguarded beach which the village of Rosscarbery relies heavily upon for tourism, the level of testing at the site and the level of treatment at the plant, are both completely unacceptable.’
