The Dollymount Dames are taking Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien to task on E Coli ridden bathing waters outside of the traditional summer bathing season at Bull Island.
Ten of the last eleven water quality tests carried out at North Bull Wall over winter came back with a "poor" result - the worst classification available which indicates a high concentration of E Coli. The Ringsend Waste Water Treatment plant is located close to Bull Island and the Dollymount Dames, a group of sea swimmers, believe the plant is behind the dirty water.
UV disinfection treatment is carried out on the final discharge from the sewage plant from June 1 to September 15 - the traditional bathing season. The results when the UV treatments are taking place are significantly better than the off season.
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There were 15 "excellent" test results and just one "poor" finding during the bathing season compared to almost all tests showing "poor" results since the end of October. The Dames argue the UV treatment should be carried out year round and the swimming season should be extended through winter due to the increased popularity of sea swimming.
Dollymount Dame and Green Party Councillor Donna Cooney told Dublin Live: "I'm very concerned at the poor bathing water quality since October 2022 to date. I along with thousands of others swim all year around, we swim from the Bathing shelters on the North Bull Wall, this is also part of the important protected habitats of Dublin bay biosphere.
"We are calling on the Minister Darragh O'Brien to extend the bathing season as we thought he had a mind to do and to direct Uisce Éireann to use UV treatment all year to protect sea users' health and the wildlife in Dublin Bay."
However, Irish Water, the body responsible for the Ringsend sewage plant, said a trial indicated the UV treatments did not make any "material improvement" to the bathing waters during the winter months. The trial was carried out from September and suggested the dirty bathing water may be down to increased "bacterial concentrations" in the River Tolka and Santry River which feed into Dublin Bay in the Bull Island area.
An Irish Water spokeswoman said: "The evidence-based assessment included an intensive sampling programme of over 3,100 bacterial samples from 15 key locations, including the North Bull Wall, as well as a water quality modelling to assess the likely impacts of the winter operation of the UV system on water quality at bathing sites in Dublin Bay.
"Detailed analysis of the data collected did not demonstrate any material improvement in bathing water quality at designated bathing locations in Dublin Bay as a result of the operation of the UV system at the Ringsend WWTP during the winter period. The study also concluded that there was no material improvement at the North Bull Wall as a result of the operation of the UV system at Ringsend during the Winter period.
"Monitoring carried out under the study identified significant elevated bacterial concentrations in the River Tolka and Santry River which influence the bathing water quality at the North Bull Wall."
A spokesman for the House Department said: "Bathing water protection across Dublin Bay is a multifaceted issue with various potential pollution sources. These include surface water run-off, urban waste water, misconnections to surface water drains, wild birds and dog fouling on beaches.
"The operation of the treatment plant at Ringsend and the associated use of the ultra violet treatment system is an operational matter for Uisce Eireann."
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