Council hears call for bathing areas at appropriate locations along the Boyne

A call for the placing of bathing spots in appropriate locations along the Boyne has been made at a meeting of Meath County Council. The notice of motion was tabled by Cllr Wayne Harding and seconded by Cllr Sharon Tolan.

Cllr Harding said that he had tabled a similar motion in June last year and he hoped the matter would be taken seriously. He acknowledged that the previous motion had received widespread support from councillors when it was first put before the council.

"There should be a real effort to improve our water quality," he said. "Water resources were under intense pressure. Bathing status would increase safety at certain locations but, most importantly, water quality would be improved. He said he had been lucky enough to visit the research facilities at Dowth Farm which were being driven by Devenish. The work there was extraordinary and ground breaking. They had proven that by strategically varying the grass species, and planting simple plants like hazel and willow, they could filter water running off the land by up to 14-fold.

"The scientific data has been established on the banks of the Boyne by Devenish and local farmers could be assisted by this type of planting. This could all make a difference in tackling climate change," he said.

He had pointed out locations, including Slane bridge, where bathing spots could be created.

Cllr Tolan said that every year they had submissions on the question of bathing spots but they did not seem to get a response. She would like to know why certain locations had been rejected, including those at Laytown, Gormanston, Mornington and at some river sites.

“Swimming has become so, so popular and it is incumbent on us to ensure that these places are as safe as possible. We don’t seem to be taking this as seriously as the elected members have asked the local authority to take it”.

She said she had a notice of motion down in 2021 asking for water quality to be tested. Dunlaoghaire Rathdown council had continued to test water quality and publish the results, she added.

Labour Cllr Elaine McGinty supported the motion saying that an Environmental Protection Agency report had stated that water quality in the Boyne was “poor to average”. They needed to look at waste disposal and Ireland was going to be fined if we did not get our water quality up. The motion was agreed by the councillors.