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Bathing water quality

Bathing waters are an important amenity, valuable for both their tourism and recreational potential. It is important that they are afforded the appropriate protections in accordance with legislation, including the European Union's Bathing Waters Directive.

www.beaches.ie - water quality and information for over 200 beaches

This site shares the latest information on water quality and other information at the moment you search for it for over 200 beaches. You can discover beaches near you, find out which beaches have safe water quality, check out tides and learn about beach amenities. You can be also be informed of swim restrictions and annual water quality ratings.

Protecting our Beaches

Bathing waters are an important amenity, valuable for both their tourism and recreational potential. It is important that they are afforded the appropriate protections in accordance with legislation, including the European Union's Bathing Waters Directive. The directive requires that water quality at all designated bathing waters meets stringent microbiological standards in order to protect the health of people who choose to bathe there.

The directive was transposed into Irish Law by the Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008. Under the 2008 regulations, local authorities are required to identify bathing waters. Bathing waters are defined as surface waters where a large number of people bathe and where there is no permanent bathing prohibition. We review this annually.

Current bathing areas in County Clare

Information on areas already currently designated as bathing waters can be found at Bathing water quality for beaches and lakes in Ireland - Beaches.ie

Have your say in identifying bathing waters 2025

Local authorities must identify official bathing areas in their area every year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use.

Under European and Irish law, Irish local authorities must identify bathing waters each year so that these areas can be monitored to ensure they meet stringent microbiological water quality standards. In some cases, the official bathing areas are also the areas where local authorities focus their resources providing lifeguards during the summer season. These laws also require that the local authority prepares detailed descriptions or profiles for each of the identified bathing water sites that describe not just the bathing area but also areas in the surface waters catchment area that could be a source of pollution. The profiles include an assessment on the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.

To help with this process, Clare County Council are asking people who swim at beaches, lakes and rivers to tell them if they think they should maintain existing designated bathing waters designations or give a new official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming, but not identified at the moment.(External link)

If you are a regular swimmer and want to help your Council decide which bathing areas should be classified as such, it might be helpful to consider the following:
• How your swimming area has been used up to now;
• How many people use the site;
• What facilities exist at the site and how accessible it is;
• Any safety issues.


If you wish to propose your favourite beach/river etc as a new bathing water site or comment on an existing site please use the survey link below.

Public Participation - Identification of Bathing Waters 2025 | Clare County Council Community Engagement

Closing date for submissions to Clare County Council is 26/9/2025. For further information  or to make a written submission please contact 065-6846331 or email enviroff@clarecoco.ie

 

Page last reviewed: 12/03/19

Content managed by: Roads, Environment and Water Services Department

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