Kilkee beach closed for bacterial testing

The popular Kilkee beach in Co Clare has been closed for testing for a number of days due to a discharge from a nearby pump station on Wednesday.

Irish Water said in a statement that “operational electrical issues” at Kilkee pump station early in the morning caused pumps to be out of service for a number of hours. This resulted in a discharge of wastewater to the nearby Victoria stream.

A precautionary bathing prohibition was put in place by the Health Service Executive for the beach. Although the station has resumed operations, water testing means the beach is expected to be closed for a further three days.

A notice on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, Beaches.ie, said it was because of “the risk of increased bacterial levels due to a pump malfunction in the wastewater pump station”.

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The website also noted that the beach was subject to “short-term pollution after heavy rainfall”.

Local Fine Gael councillor Gabriel Keating said the fault was not helped by the fact that “we had the four seasons of weather over the past week”. While it disrupted people enjoying the beach, “we have no control over the elements”.

“It’s an inconvenience to people and I would be sorry for people who have come on holidays and can’t have a swim at the moment,” he said.

A prohibition on swimming was issued for Kilkee beach last December following an emergency discharge which contained elements of wastewater.

This occurred due to a safety device failing combined with a period of heavy rainfall. The prohibition was lifted in May following repair work at the station.