Bathing Water Profile - Golden Strand, Achill Island (2013) Bathing Water: Golden Strand, Achill Island Bathing Water Code: IEWEBWC360_0000_0300 Local Authority: Mayo County Council River Basin District: Western Monitoring Point: 69296E, 309054N 1. Profile Details: Profile Id: BWPR00204 Toilets Available: Year Of Profile: 2013 Car Parking Available: Year Of Identification 1992 Disabled Access: Version Number: 1 First Aid Available: Sensitive Area: Dogs Allowed: Lifesaving Facilities: Figure 1: Bathing Water
2. Bathing Water Details: Map 1: Bathing Water Location & Extent Bathing Water location and extent: Golden Strand is a medium sized shingle and sand beach facing north. It is approximately 800 metres long, bordered by rocky headlands to the east and west and is some half a kilometer from the Dugort village. There is a gentle gradient for the first 600 metres from the west towards the east then a steep gradient for the easternmost 200 metres. The Designated bathing area is set in the western portion of the beach and is approximately two hundred metres in length marked at each end by Warning End Of Patrolled Area notices. There is a system of dunes between the beach and the road. At the eastern end of the beach outside the D.B.A. There is also a caravan holiday park at this end of the beach. The beach is overlooked by a public house and a small number of residential properties. The bathing area is approximately 0.88km wide. The bathing water is approximately 0.51km2 in area. This beach has a Blue Flag Award. Main features of the Bathing Water: Type of Bathing Water Exposed shore with a sandy substrate, the upper limit of the shore consists of large pebbles. The presence of gently sloping sand dunes along the headlands have been colonised by many different plants. Flora/Fauna, Riparian Zone Doogort Machair Lough Doo: This machair site occurs on two plains separated by an escarpment. The sward includes species such as Common Birds-foot Trefoil, Ladys Bedstraw, various small Sedges and Sand Sedge. Of particular note are the mosses and liverworts which occur here. These include Campulopus Subulatus and Haplomitrium Hodceri. Behind the machair plain are two small lakes. Lough Doo is bordered at it s western end by a freshwater marsh with Fools Watercress and Lesser Spearwort. Lough Nambrack to the south is partially fringed by Common Reed with occasional Branched Bur-Reed and Bulrush. At it s western end is a small species rich marsh with water mint, Marsh Marigold, and Marsh Cinquefois. A number of rare species of moss and liverwort are found around these lakes including Leiocolea Gillmannii and Petalwort. This rare species is accorded special protection status by the E.U. The outstanding feature of this site is the range and diversity of mosses and liverworts which occur here. Achill Island is one of the foremost area s in Ireland which is of international importance for these plants Water Depth The medium water depth and maximum water depth within the designated bathing water would be 0.5m and 5.0 respectively depending on tides. Tidal Range The beach is Mesotidal based on information from Westport Harbour Tide Tables which is the Standard Port shown on the Irish Tide Tables. Westport Harbour is located at the south east corner of Clew Bay
Land Use Most of the terrain is hilly, unenclosed blanket bog and heath. Much of the lower slopes of the hills are heavily grazed by sheep and are eroded down to mineral soil. Sensitive Area Doogort Machair/Lough Doo SAC/ pnha (Site Code 001497) Croaghaun/Slievemore SAC/pNHA (Site Code 001955) Keel Machair/Menaun Cliffs SAC/pNHA (Site Code 001513) Doogort Machair Lough Doo: This machair site occurs on two plains separated by an escarpment. The sward includes species such as Common Birds-foot Trefoil, Ladys Bedstraw, various small Sedges and Sand Sedge. Sea Caves - In the Nineteenth Century, Achill Island was noted for the large number of seals found around its coast. The seal caves at Doogort were home to a particularly large colony. Towards the latter half of the century, their numbers began to drop significantly. At the time, many of the islanders attributed their decline to the introduction of the fox to the island via the new bridge at Achill Sound but it is most likely that their decline is due to the large numbers of hunters that came to the island to hunt the seals for sport during the late nineteenth century. Today, seals can occasionally be seen in the waters around the island. Dugort, on the north side of Achill Island, offers two Blue Flag beaches. This historic village was the first area on Achill to embrace tourism as the island's first hotel (the Achill Mission Hotel, later the Slievemore Hotel) was established here in 1840. It was to Dugort that the Irish artist Paul Henry was first taken when he visited Achill in 1910, though he quickly sought the less developed (at the time) village of Keel as his base. Dugort's two Blue Flag beaches look out onto Blacksod Bay and the Belmullet Peninsula is clearly visible to the north. The larger beach, the Golden Strand, is also known as Barnyagappul Strand. This name derives from the Gaelic Trá 'Bhearna na gcapall' meaning the strand of the gap of the horses. It refers to the times when horses were used to carry seaweed from the shore to local fields to use as fertilizer. Max. number of visitor during a day in high season: 50 Approx number of visitor during the bathing season: 200 Activities available at the Bathing Water: The beach is used by limited numbers of surfers, windsurfing, canoeing Contributing catchment details: Monitoring point details: Golden Strand beach is located approx 3 kilometres east of Doogort village in Achill Island. Golden Strand beach is located on the north side of Achill Island, the shoreline around the village of Dugort boasts two Blue Flag beaches - the Dugort (Silver Strand) and the Golden Strand. Both these beaches face Blacksod Bay and the Belmullet Peninsula. Golden Strand is the most easterly beach and is also known as Barnyagappul Strand. Water Bodies Draining to Bathing Water There are no major water bodies draining to Dugort Beach but several water courses. There is a stream that flows in to the beach and its monitored throughout the bathing season for water quality Topography The catchment consists of steeply sloping hills mountains, Slievemore and Croaghaun, both over 700m in height. The grid reference for the nominal bathing water monitoring point is E 069,296 N 309,054. The precise location of the bathing water monitoring point can vary depending on tides and weather influences. Reason for selection of the monitoring point: The location of the bathing water monitoring point is the location where most bathers are expected to use the bathing water. This area can vary somewhat on this beach depending on tidal & weather influences. Water quality assessment: Overall the water quality monitoring carried out at Golden Strand Beach from 2004 to 2010 achieved good water quality status and complied with the EU Guide and Mandatory Values as set out in the Quality of Bathing Water Regulations, 1992 (S.I. 155 of 1992) and the EC Directive concerning the Quality of Bathing waters (76/160/EEC). Since 2011, two microbiological parameters, Escherichia coli and Intestinal entercocci are used for bathing water quality monitoring of identified bathing waters as required under the Bathing Water Quality Regulations, 2008. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 the overall status of Golden Strand beach was Good. It is expected that Golden Strand Beach will continue to meet the required standard of Sufficient water quality in 2014 and subsequent years. 3. Identified Pressures:
Map 2: Bathing Water Catchment 3.1 Potential pressures in the catchment assessed as posing no risk: Description: Source: Type: Short Term Pressure: There is one municipal waste water treatment plant in the catchment area which services the villages of Doogort. The WWTP is designed to treat sewage from a population equivalent of 700 P.E. Discharge of Sewage from Doogort WWTP Waste Water Treatment plant No 3.2 Potential pressures in the catchment assessed as posing risk: Description: There is a significant number of caravans/mobile homes located in the caravan park which is located in close proximity to the beach, these discharge effluent to a pumping station in Golden Strand & from there it is pumped to the sewerage system for treatment at the waste water treatment plant in Doogort. Source: Type: Short Term Pressure: Nature: Frequency: Duration: Risk Assessment Methodology: Risk Assessment Results: Details: Caravan/Mobile Home parks Discharges from tourist resorts Low Risk 1/2 bathing season < 48 hours All effluent from the caravan/mobile home parks is discharged to the sewage treatment system referred to above. They do not discharge directly to the beach area. There are 2 No. submersible pumps (duty and standby). There is storage capacity of 2 hours and there is no emergency overflow. There is no record of overflow from this site in recent years. The Risk of overflow from the WWTP is low. Management Measures: If heavy rain is anticipated warning notices will be erected at the beach and notification made to the EPA 3.3 Other Risks:
of cyanobacteria: measures for cyanobacteria: of macroalgae: measures for macroalgae: Monitoring of the beach since it attained a Blue Flag Award in 1992 indicates that there is no significant of Marine Phytoplankton on this beach. of marine phytoplankton: Monitoring of the beach since it attained a Blue Flag Award in 1992 indicates that there is no significant of Macroalgae on this beach. measures for marine phytoplankton: Additional Information: Appropriate Assessment of Doogort Wastewater Discharge Licence Application 2010 v Designated Bathing Area Risk Assessment Report- Golden Strand Beach v EPA http://maps.epa.ie/internetmapviewer/mapviewer.aspx v http://watermaps.wfdireland.ie/hydrotool/viewer.aspx?site=hydro&reloadkey=tru e v http://www.bathingwater.ie/epa/current.htm 4 Bathing Water Status From Previous Sampling Years: 2010 2011 2012 2013 Golden Strand, Achill Island Good Good Good Good 5 Contact Details: Contact: Mayo County Council Email: bathingwater@mayococo.ie Address:, Belmullet Area Office, Church Road, Belmullet, Co. Mayo Phone: 097 81004