More choice for swimmers as Lilliput waters rated ‘good'

The water quality at Lilliput has been found to have improved to the extent that it has now been categorised as ‘good’.

The rating is contained in the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual report on bathing water quality, and relates to 2016.

The two other bathing spots monitored by the EPA in Westmeath – Portnashangan on Lough Owel and The Cut at Lough Lene, have both retained their ‘excellent’ rating.

Lilliput’s elevation to ‘good’ standing is significant, as for some years, it was being rated as poor. Last year, it was in the ‘Changes’ category, reflecting the beginning of improvement.

In its comments on the location, the EPA said that Lilliput showed much improvement due to remedial actions to remove wastewater discharges.

“In 2015, Westmeath County Council opted to tanker offsite all wastewaters from the small wastewater treatment plant at Lilliput,” the document stated.

It stressed, however, that to avoid any deterioration in quality it was necessary to continue the offsite treatment of wastewater from Lilliput.

Fifteen water samples were taken at Lilliput in 2016, and of those, 11 were rated ‘excellent’ and four were ‘good’.

While the analysis by the EPA all relates to 2016, the report was issued just last week.

The EPA said that the quality of Ireland’s bathing waters remains ‘very high’ with 93% of identified bathing waters (130 of 140) meeting the minimum EU standards for ‘Sufficient’ water quality over the four year assessment period 2013-2016.

Of the total, 120 (85.7 per cent) were classified as being either ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good quality’ in 2016, compared to 114.