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05/11/2003
Local beaches given clean bill of health
All 16 of Northern Ireland's beaches have passed the 2003 EU bathing water tests, placing them ahead of the rest of the UK.
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the results showed a welcome improvement on last year and that it was an excellent result for Northern Ireland beaches, providing a welcome boost for tourism in many coastal resorts.
"The long spell of dry weather during the summer months has played a key part in ensuring a high level of bathing water quality," he added.
Under the EC Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC, Member States are required to identify bathing waters at which bathing is traditionally practised by large numbers of bathers, and to monitor the quality of those waters for the prescribed parameters.
There are two standards in the Directive used to classify waters; the mandatory standards and the tighter guideline standards.
The latter is indicative of excellent water quality and this is the standard of water quality required for the prestigious Blue Flag Award.
(MB)
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the results showed a welcome improvement on last year and that it was an excellent result for Northern Ireland beaches, providing a welcome boost for tourism in many coastal resorts.
"The long spell of dry weather during the summer months has played a key part in ensuring a high level of bathing water quality," he added.
Under the EC Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC, Member States are required to identify bathing waters at which bathing is traditionally practised by large numbers of bathers, and to monitor the quality of those waters for the prescribed parameters.
There are two standards in the Directive used to classify waters; the mandatory standards and the tighter guideline standards.
The latter is indicative of excellent water quality and this is the standard of water quality required for the prestigious Blue Flag Award.
(MB)
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17 October 2013
NI Beaches Achieve 100% Quality
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96% Of NI's Bathing Water Meets Quality Standards
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18 November 2013
£3.1m Investment In North Down Water
£3.1m is being invested in water infrastructure improvement for North Down. NI Water is scheduled to commence work on a programme of improvement work to upgrade the sewerage infrastructure and key pumping stations in the Bangor area. The scheme is expected to get underway towards the end of November and be completed before summer 2014.
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£3.1m is being invested in water infrastructure improvement for North Down. NI Water is scheduled to commence work on a programme of improvement work to upgrade the sewerage infrastructure and key pumping stations in the Bangor area. The scheme is expected to get underway towards the end of November and be completed before summer 2014.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A dry day with long spells of sunshine for most, however eastern coasts will see rather more in the way of cloud at times, with just the risk of an odd light morning shower. Mainly light northerly winds. Maximum temperature 13 °C.Tonight:A fine end to the day with some evening sunshine. It remains dry overnight with a touch of frost possible in places, although cloud is expected to increase towards dawn. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
