Ballyalla Lake fails to meet basic water cleanliness levels

Lady Chatterton

I was disppointed to read in today's Indo that Ballyalla Lake was amongst four top bathing spots that failed basic water cleanliness tests.

I no longer live in Ennis but I did grow up there and as a child I remember swimming there with my friends. However, I felt that Ballyalla stopped being a popular bathing spot several years ago. I am open to correction though.

Do people still go to Ballyalla?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/top-bathing-spots-fail-cleanliness-test-2622602.html

Balagan

People go there to boat, fish, walk and rendevous for all kinds of reasons but the water at Ballyalla had been deemed unfit for swimming in for many years and you'd never see anyone swimming there now. The Irish Independent today published an 'explanation' about previous day's report which referred to Ballyalla and three other places as having been 'top bathing spots' before failing recent tests. All four seem to have been dodgy for quite a while.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/tests-explained-2622886.html

CptSternn

Wasn't there a campaign recently to fix up the lake?

Johnboy1951

There are some very informative web pages on this .... like this one

http://www.bathingwater.ie/epa/history.htm

.... the info about Ballyalla is there ...

Lady Chatterton

EPA water cleanliness results for bathing spots in Co. Clare

Ballyalla Lake, Ennis - Poor water quality, failed to comply with EU regulation and guidlines and also failed to adhere to compliance with faecal streptococci guide value.

All the following bathing spots were found to have good water and fully compliant with all regulations and guidleines

Ballycuggeran, Killaloe
Bishopsquarter
Cappagh Pier, Kilrush
Fanore
Kilkee
Lahinch
Mountshannon, Lough Derg
Spanish Point
White Strand, Doonbeg
White Strand, Miltown Malbay

Stuxnet

MrsD007 wrote: »

All the following bathing spots were found to have good water and fully compliant with all regulations and guidleines

the water in Thailand is good,
the water here has just above the minimum human safety standards, its still riddled with horse and cattle crap, cryptosporidium and other diseases that are "harmless".....

Lady Chatterton

iPwnage wrote: »

the water here has just above the minimum human safety standards, its still riddled with horse and cattle crap, cryptosporidium and other diseases that are "harmless".....

The new Directive on bathing water (Directive 2006/7/EC) establishes tighter microbiological standards for two new parameters Intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli.

From the 2011 bathing season onwards, these two robustmicrobiological parameters will be monitored and used to classify bathing waters.

Stuxnet

nice, that wont make the filth go away tho ..! we'll now have officially the worst waterways in the developed world

Lady Chatterton

iPwnage wrote: »

nice, that wont make the filth go away tho ..! we'll now have officially the worst waterways in the developed world

Where is the report or link to substantiate your claims

CptSternn

America still holds that title actually. As of like four years ago there are no fresh water streams in America in which you can fish as they all are contaminated to the point that ingesting anything that comes out of them will kill you.

Stuxnet

MrsD007 wrote: »

Where is the report or link to substantiate your claims

its a well known fact our waters are some of the worst in europe,

sure when you go down to Ballyalla and see the travellers washing their horse's in the water, it's no wonder


http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfcwcwkfeykf/rss2/

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-and-monitoring/state-of-bathing-water-1/country-reports-2009-bathing-season-1/ireland-bathing-water-results-2009

happy reading

Lady Chatterton

iPwnage wrote: »

its a well known fact our waters are some of the worst in europe,

sure when you go down to Ballyalla and see the travellers washing their horse's in the water, it's no wonder


http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfcwcwkfeykf/rss2/

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-and-monitoring/state-of-bathing-water-1/country-reports-2009-bathing-season-1/ireland-bathing-water-results-2009

happy reading

Many thanks for posting those links. I had a quick glance through the EEA report and it would appear from the most recent EPA (published a few days ago) that compliance has improved since. We have to hope the new EU directive that comes in to effect this year will bring about further imporovements.

poppyvalley

Sure every house out around Ballyalla has a septic tank There are no standards or regulations regarding septic tanks throughout Ireland, and add to this the excrement from farming. What would you expect?with all this draining into the lake

Jim Martin

MrsD007 wrote: »

EPA water cleanliness results for bathing spots in Co. Clare

Ballyalla Lake, Ennis - Poor water quality, failed to comply with EU regulation and guidlines and also failed to adhere to compliance with faecal streptococci guide value.

All the following bathing spots were found to have good water and fully compliant with all regulations and guidleines

Ballycuggeran, Killaloe
Bishopsquarter
Cappagh Pier, Kilrush
Fanore
Kilkee
Lahinch
Mountshannon, Lough Derg
Spanish Point
White Strand, Doonbeg
White Strand, Miltown Malbay

Depends what you mean by "good water" ! If Spanish Point is good water, how come it can't get it's blue flag back again? (I'm assuming it can't as, so far, it hasn't!)

Lady Chatterton

Jim Martin wrote: »

Depends what you mean by "good water" ! If Spanish Point is good water, how come it can't get it's blue flag back again? (I'm assuming it can't as, so far, it hasn't!)

Water quality is just one factor taken in to account when Blue Flags are being awarded. I can't comment on why Spanish Point do not have a blue flag. However, it is important to acknowledge that the EPA's latest report states that Spanish Point was found to have good water quality when it was tested in 2010.

Criteria used when assessing and awarding Blue Flags is as follows;

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION
WATER QUALITY
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SAFETY AND SERVICES

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND INFORMATION

• Information about the Blue Flag must be displayed
• Environmental education activities must be offered and promoted to beach users
• Information about bathing water quality must be displayed
• Information relating to local eco-systems and environmental phenomena must be displayed
• A map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed
• A code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws governing the use of the beach and surrounding areas must be displayed

WATER QUALITY

•The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency requirements
• The beach must fully comply with the standards and requirements for water quality analysis
• No industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area
• The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for the microbiological parameter faecal coli bacteria (E.coli) and intestinal enterococci/streptococci
• The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for the following physical and chemical parameters

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT •

The local authority/beach operator should establish a beach management committee
• The local authority/beach operator must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach
• The beach must be clean
• Algae vegetation or natural debris should be left on the beach
• Waste disposal bins/containers must be available at the beach in adequate numbers and they must be regularly maintained
• Facilities for the separation of recyclable waste materials should be available at the beach
• An adequate number of toilet or restroom facilities must be provided
• The toilet or restroom facilities must be kept clean

• The toilet or restroom facilities must have controlled sewage disposal
• On the beach there will be no unauthorised camping or driving and no dumping
• Access to the beach by dogs and other domestic animals must be strictly controlled
• All buildings and beach equipment must be properly maintained
• Coral reefs in the vicinity of the beach must be monitored
• A sustainable means of transportation should be promoted in the beach area

SAFETY AND SERVICES

• An adequate number of lifeguards and/or lifesaving equipment must be available at the beach
• First aid equipment must be available on the beach
• Emergency plans to cope with pollution risks must be in place
• There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents
• There must be safety measures in place to protect users of the beach
• A supply of drinking water should be available at the beach
• At least one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have access and facilities provided for the physically disabled

Jim Martin

Thks very much for that 'MrsD007'. I knew the conditions were pretty onerous but didn't realise that sustainable transport had to be promoted! I think the sticking point at Spanish Point could be a stream which runs into the sea there (septic tanks/slurry pollution under certain weather conditions).

Lady Chatterton

Jim Martin wrote: »

Thks very much for that 'MrsD007'. I knew the conditions were pretty onerous but didn't realise that sustainable transport had to be promoted! I think the sticking point at Spanish Point could be a stream which runs into the sea there (septic tanks/slurry pollution under certain weather conditions).

Septic tanks have a lot to answer for in this country . Thanks Jim

cniriain

Where could I find out what beaches have a blue flag?Thanks!

Clareman

cniriain wrote: »

Where could I find out what beaches have a blue flag?Thanks!

Not sure what this has to do with a lake, but as some of the best beaches in the world are in the banner we can help out

http://www.blueflag.org/

http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Blue+Flag+beaches%2fmarinas/2010/Northern+Hemisphere/Ireland/List/Beaches for Irish only beaches

Shapey Fiend

Ballyalla has been filthy for 30years, probably more. I think people who used swim there years ago just didn't care/didn't have a car to get to the sea. The fergus next to the bishops house used be a popular spot as well. Tried it once cos i wanted a go on the rope swing. Not getting caught on submerged shopping trolleys was a higher priority than cryptosporidiythingy.