Public Participation: Identification of Bathing Waters
8th May 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. There are currently no Designated Bathing Areas in County Kildare. Kildare County Council are asking people who swim at lakes and rivers to tell them if they think they should give official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming, but are not currently identified.
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 of the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.
If proposing a new Designated Bathing Area (DBA) the following criteria should be strongly considered before making a submission:
- How accessible is the location?
- Are there any health and safety issues associated with the site?
- How good is the water quality?
- Is there sufficient parking at the site?
- Are there toilet/changing facilities at the site, or close by?
- Is the proposed DBA on private property?
To propose a new bathing water site, email smerrins@kildarecoco.ie
Closing date for submissions to Kildare County Council is 26/9/2025.
