T

THERE'S good news for Kerry as it heads into the tourist season with the county's bathing waters getting a clean bill of health from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The county is one of only three local authority areas in the country where all designated bathing areas achieved “excellent’” status.
Kerry County Council has welcomed the findings of the new report from the Environmental Protection Agency, which noted: “All of Kerry County Council identified bathing waters continue to be of excellent quality.”
The report found that 15 beaches which were surveyed had maintained their standards from the previous year. These are: Baile an Sceilig; Ballybunion North; Ballybunion South; Ballyheigue; Banna Strand; Castlegregory; Doire Fhíonáin; Fenit; Fionntrá; Inch; Kells; Maharabeg; Rossbeigh, White Strand; Inny Strand, Waterville; and White Strand, Caherciveen.
The chief executive of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, warmly welcomed the EPA report saying the findings were testament to the hard work of council staff and local community groups and residents in maintaining our beaches. “This is great news for Kerry at the beginning of another tourist season and will allow the county to continue to attract visitors and local alike to our beaches as an amenity for recreational use,” said Ms Murrell.
“I want to pay tribute to the staff of Kerry County Council who work to maintain our beaches to such a high standard. This effort is supplemented by the local residents and community groups who clean up areas along our coasts and maintain them.
“As the EPA says, good quality bathing water is a highly desirable natural resource for recreational use as well as being an important economic factor for tourism. This is wonderful news for a county which treasures its tourism industry, its local amenities and its reputation for environmental protection and cleanliness.”