A popular swimming spot in Co. Kilkenny has been closed due of a high amount of e-coli in the water.
The Weir in Thomastown was closed by Kilkenny County Council yesterday (June 8) and is expected to remain so until Wednesday.
The water will be tested on Tuesday and the results will determine whether the spot can be re-opened.
'Do Not Swim' notices
The news in Kilkenny comes following a similar situation in Wexford last month.
'Do Not Swim' notices were issued to a number of beaches in the county including Ballinesker, White Gap and Culleton’s Gap Beaches and Curracloe.
Testing conducted as part of the Council’s investigation into bathing water quality showed elevated levels of Intestinal enterococci bacteria at White Gap Beach, Curracloe.
Bathing water quality results for 18 Wexford beaches sampled over the 2022 bathing season have been mainly excellent as published recently in the EPA Annual Bathing Water Quality Report.
The notices were lifted just a few days after water tests returned, deeming the beaches "excellent."
People can also find more information on their local coastline's condition at beaches.ie.
Sewage and fertiliser in water
At the start of May, research by DCU found that there are high levels of sewage and fertiliser in four out of 10 Irish water sources.
High levels of phosphate were found to be in 41% of streams, lakes and rivers across the country, but Wexford had a particularly high amount.
A high level of nitrogen was also found in 18% of water bodies, with the South-East having an elevated amount.
Both phosphates and nitrogen are natural nutrients, but too much of either can cause a build-up of algae in water which can lead to oxygen.
This then makes it difficult for fish and wildlife to thrive.
The nutrients make their way to water either by escaping from septic tanks and sewage systems or through water in soils sprayed with fertiliser.
Image courtesy of wildswim.ie who have a helpful guide to swimming in the area
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
