Broughty Ferry Beach to lose Blue Flag
Dundee's tourism prospects suffered a serious blow after it was confirmed that Broughty Ferry's Blue Flag beach status will end next year.
In brighter times — Broughty Ferry beach.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 12.11.10
- Published online : 12.11.10 @ 09.39am
The council's leisure and communities convener Councillor Bob Duncan said there was little point in applying for the much-prized award after Keep Beautiful Scotland (KSB), which runs the scheme, said the Ferry's water quality fell short of the required mark.
KSB said the Blue Flag requirements were set to become almost unachievable for Broughty Ferry but local people and tourists could be assured that, despite a dip in water quality over the summer, it remained "one of the top Scottish beach destinations."
It had been feared that the Blue Flag would be run down the flagpole when freak weather conditions led to some less than stellar water quality tests earlier in the year.
Representatives from Keep Scotland Beautiful, the council, Scottish Water and environment watchdog SEPA met to discuss the situation and the outcome was the news that no one in the city wanted to hear.
Mr Duncan said, "Given the advice from Keep Scotland Beautiful, it is unlikely that we will apply for Blue Flag status next year because water quality is something that is outwith the council's control.
"However, it is only one of the criteria that makes up the award and we should not be too disappointed because Broughty Ferry beach remains a tremendous asset to Dundee, a fact that is also recognised by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
"The council has been working closely with the local community to ensure there are excellent facilities at the beach and there is no doubt that we will be going for the Resort Seaside Award which in itself reflects beaches that are of the highest standard.
"I have no doubt that Broughty Ferry beach will continue to attract local people and visitors alike over the coming year.
"We will be posting post water-quality information at the beach during the summer so people can still choose to swim there.
"There are top-quality facilities to ensure that people have a great time at the beach."
The Blue Flag, an internationally-accredited award, requires that all beaches achieve the "guideline" water quality standard of the EU Bathing Water Directive.
The bathing water at Broughty Ferry met the lower mandatory standard this summer.
The poor sample taken at the end of the season was attributed to heavy seas and high levels of suspended solids coming in from the sea. These conditions also impacted bathing waters in Fife.
Blue Flag beaches are judged against a total of 32 criteria, just six of which are related to bathing water quality and providing information about it to visitors.
Pollution
It might have been possible for the council to have made a case for Blue Flag retention had there been some special circumstances such as short-term pollution incidents to account for the poorer-than-expected water quality but none could be identified.
Making matters even more difficult is the fact that a revised EU Bathing Water Directive will come into force in 2012, introducing new, stricter standards.
The international Blue Flag organisation, the Foundation of Environmental Education, will also introduce more challenging water quality standards in 2012.
Keep Scotland Beautiful chief executive John Summers, said, "As the Blue Flag water quality standards will be raised in 2012, KSB has advised Dundee City Council not to apply next year.
"While Broughty Ferry beach complies with all the land-based criteria, making it one of the top Scottish beach destinations, the new water quality standards may not be attainable due to a number of factors — estuarine location, waste water treatment investment levels, and a changing, wetter, weather pattern.
"We will continue to encourage the local authority to recognise the beach with a Resort Seaside Award, and by doing so, users can be assured of the continuous quality of management.
"Visitors to the beach will also continue to have access to water quality information, posted at the beach, during the summer, allowing them to make an informed decision on whether to bathe or not."
Rob Mustard, general manager for waste water, Scottish Water, said, "The water quality at Broughty Ferry is subject to a large number of factors, including rainfall and diffuse pollution.
"Scottish Water's waste water assets are performing as they were designed and within their regulatory contract, and are playing their part in protecting the water quality at Broughty Ferry."
Scottish Water's waste water controls were designed to reach the equivalent of the mandatory standard that Broughty Ferry achieved this year.
In future, improvements will be made to achieve a "good" standard. However, the new Blue Flag requirements will mean that only beaches exhibiting an "excellent" water quality will achieve the status from 2012 onwards, ruling out all but the world's highest quality bathing waters.
Add a comment