There is a “high chance” none of Dublin’s beaches would be open to swimmers if we were testing the water year-round.

Lobby group SOS Dublin Bay is warning that one-fifth of swimmers in the capital have become ill as a result of the quality of the water.

A survey of more than 1,200 found that 21.8% had experienced adverse health effects from the water – including diarrhoea, skin rashes and gastroenteritis.

People enjoy the warm weather at Seapoint in Dublin, 30-03-2021. Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Charlotte O’Kelly, Managing Director of Techworks Marine and SOS Dublin Bay spokesperson said there are at least 410 pipes of different sizes pumping into Dublin Bay.

She said the current system of testing is not fit for purpose – and officials can’t say for certain where the wastewater is coming from.

“We all think of Ringsend immediately as the huge culprit,” she said. “We see the photos in the papers with huge plumes or brown, muddy looking nasty stuff floating out into the bay – but we just don’t know.

“We need to understand where the problems are coming from so we can then mitigate in the short term to ensure that all of us who are now doing these staycations in Ireland, who are swimming every day who are using the sea to take the kids to the beach in the summer or sailing, canoeing, diving – that we are doing it in water where we are not seeing 20% of us getting sick from it.”

Two people sit on benches at Bullock Harbour looking out across Dublin Bay, 09-03-2021. Image: Leon Farrell/RollingNews

At the moment, officials are only testing the water quality in Dublin during the so-called bathing season – which runs from mid-May to mid-September.

Ms O’Kelly said the water in the bay tends to be much dirtier in the winter than in the summer.

“Most of the issues we know happen, happen during winter time so during big rain events which are outside of the bathing season,” she said.

“So, when we say we have great bathing water quality – well Merrion is closed but let’s say in South County Dublin or North County Dublin – that is only because the measurements don’t actually reflect what is an annual bathing season at the moment.

“If we had an annual bathing season, there is a high chance nowhere would be open for bathing.”

Even during the summer, the water is only tested once a week.

“It is just not good enough,” said Ms O’Kelly. “Dublin Bay is a UNESCO biosphere; we are a European capital city; we are a marine nation. We should be protecting this great resource of ours which we are using on a daily basis.

“Monitoring once a week means you find out 48 hours after the sample is taken what happens. You can’t make an informed decision as a citizen on that – once a week, you know, the tide changes twice a day in Dublin.

“We know that in any week in Ireland we can have glorious summer to horrible winter in two days or even less so we really need to have more systemic monitoring.”

Petition

Nearly 20,000 people have now signed an SOS Dublin Bay petition calling for improved testing and infrastructure in Dublin.

Ms O’Kelly said the only way to improve the situation is to have proper scientific data showing how big the problem is and where it is coming from.

“That information can be collected today because the technology exists today and it just needs us as citizens to push our politicians to make this happen,” she said.