Water way to go!
CURRACLOE, COURTOWN, KILMORE QUAY, MORRISCASTLE AND ROSSLARE ALL RETAIN BLUE FLAGS
COUNTY Wexford has retained its five Blue Flags for 2009 despite deterioration in water quality in some areas to heavy rainfall last year.
Courtown, Curracloe, Morriscastle and Rosslare beaches, along with Kilmore Quay, have all retained coveted Blue Flag status, awarded on the basis of compliance with 27 EU standards.
This year's Blue Flags – an international award for beach excellence – are awarded on the basis of the previous year's bathing water quality results so the results were adversely affected by unusually heavy rainfall during last summer.
The award is presented to beaches and marinas, such as Kilmore Quay, which have excellent water quality, and which achieve high standards across a wide range of other criteria including environmental education, management of the environment, safety and other services.
The total number of bathing areas and marinas in the State with Blue Flags now stands at 77, down from 80 a year ago and 83 in 2007.
A further 40 beaches were presented with Green Coast plaques, an increase of seven on 2008.
These awards apply generally to beaches which have excellent water quality but which may be less developed or more rural in nature than Blue Flag beaches.
In Co. Wexford, the Green Coast awards went to Cullenstown, Old Bawn, Culleton's Gap, Ballymoney, Ballinesker and Cahore Beach.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who presented the awards in a ceremony at Dollymount Strand, Bull Island, Dublin, said the loss or Blue Flag status for some beaches was disappointing and attributed the deterioration in water quality in some areas to the heavy rainfall last year.
'Ireland is faring very well and we have very high standards of bathing water quality,' he said. 'I hope that if we have a good summer this year blue flags will return to those beaches.'
An Taisce have also launched a new website – www.beachawards.ie – that will provide information on facilities and services at all of the Blue Flag and Green Coast beaches in Ireland and will soon provide up to date information on water quality too, through a link to a new on-line project under development by the EPA, which is due to be completed shortly.
- Maria PEPPER
