Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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296. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency for the second year running, has condemned the water quality of the front strand of Balbriggan beach as unfit for swimming, citing faecal contamination from birds (details supplied); and the timeline and a list of prioritised actions that he and his Department intend to take to eliminate the risks form high-density urban gull colonies and reinstate an assured and consistently high water quality standard for Balbriggan beach, commensurate with beaches throughout the country. [34530/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Primary responsibility for the management and monitoring of identified bathing waters is assigned to local authorities as specified in Regulation 7 of the Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008.  

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the environmental regulator who ensure that the local authorities carry out their functions under Bathing Water Regulations.  As part of their role, the EPA publish an annual report on Bathing Water Quality.  

The latest Bathing Water Quality report provides information about the bathing water quality in Ireland during 2021.  Balbriggan, front strand beach was one of two beaches that were classified as poor in 2021.  The main sources of pollution in Balbriggan are sewage discharges and misconnections; contaminated surface streams flowing through the town; and faeces from dogs, birds and other animals.  In their ‘Bathing Water Management Plan for Front Strand Beach, Balbriggan’, which is available on their website ( www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2022-04/balbriggan-beach-management-plan-2022.pdf ), Fingal County Council provides details regarding each of the pressures on the bathing water in Balbriggan.  Fouling from the bird colony in Balbriggan is listed as the 5^thpressure that may pose an impact on the bathing water quality and has been cited as having a ‘low’ microbial pollution potential.

Fingal County Council is working to mitigate against bird fouling on the front strand.