Water Quality

The quality of Waterford’s Bathing Water is generally very good. The beaches are regularly sampled and monitored to ensure the quality of the water is suitable for bathers. 

Green Coast Award
Beaches that have been awarded the Blue Flag obviously all have excellent water quality. But there are many beaches around the county which although have not received Blue Flag status still have excellent water quality. This is because the criteria for the Blue flag are very strict and as such a beach may fail for something very small such as not having certain facilities or services.
 
The Green Coast awards are similar to the Blue Flag but are not as prohibitive. For the 2011 bathing season 5 of our beaches were awarded the Green Flag Award. These were:

Newtown Cove

Ballyquin

Curragh

Goat Island

Annestown

Keeping our beaches clean

Each summer Waterford County Council employs a number of students for the purpose of maintaining the county's beaches. Their duties would involve the collection and disposal of litter and such waste.

Beach ByeLaws

Here you can download an extract from the Beach Byelaws(152 kbs) giving you the key points to be aware of when visiting one of Waterford’s beaches. A complete copy of the Bye-Laws for can be viewed at; Civic Offices, Davitts Quay, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford