Pollution monitoring for Warren Strand and Owenahincha Beach
12:19, 27 May 2026Updated 12:32, 27 May 2026
Owenahincha in West Cork
They may be two of the most popular beaches in West Cork, much-loved by generations of Cork holidaymakers and daytrippers as well as tourists.
But the failure to achieve Blue Flag status – and be amongst the 25 Cork beaches to get the coveted award earlier this month – is bad news for Warren Strand and Owenahincha and those who enjoy them. It’s also bad news for businesses in the area which depend on strong visitor numbers.
Now the fight is on to restore their reputation as clear, safe and pollution-free, with coastal monitoring to be carried out on a regular basis, with the aim of tracking pollution, finding the causes and acting quickly to combat what are long running and serious water quality issues.
The Marine Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) have given Uisce Éireann consent to begin coastal monitoring in the Rosscarbery Bay region as part of its efforts to zero in on the source of bacteria and other pollutants at Warren Strand and Owenahincha Beach.
Following an update from Uisce Éireann, Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan said the water quality monitoring in the Rosscarbery Bay region will continue throughout the 2026 summer season.
“The community of Rosscarbery and the general area around The Warren and Owenahincha have been concerned for many years about the bathing water. Because of repeated failures it’s failed to retain its Blue Flag status, which is very important for a tourism town,” Minister O’Sullivan said.
“It’s vital the community there are fully informed of what those polluting events are, and this further testing will help get to the bottom of it.
The project is now fully underway and currently in the planning/mobilisation phase for marine surveys.
“The plan is for structured monitoring during the bathing season (1 June to 15 September), with samples being submitted to UCD for microbial source tracking. The data will also be shared with Cork County Council’s Environment team,” he said.
It is currently projected that the detailed impact assessment of Uisce Eireann wastewater discharges in the vicinity of Warren Strand/Owenahincha designated bathing waters will be complete in early 2028.