There are different ways you can use to find out what is the latest quality status of bathing waters and if there are any current warnings or advice against bathing: • www.beaches.ie – before going to the bathing water you can check the EPA national bathing water website beaches.ie to see the latest water quality (excellent, good, sufficient or poor) and find out if there are any current warnings or advice against bathing notices in relation to water quality • At the beach or lake - lifeguards will fly the red flags when bathing waters are considered unsafe for bathing. You can check out the notice boards to see the latest water quality and if any warnings or advice against bathing notices have been posted by the local authorities • The 48-hour rule after heavy rain - swimming after heavy rainfall carries an added risk of pollution from surface runoff and is best avoided for 48 hours. Further information can be found on www.beaches.ie/protect-your-health-with-the-48-hour-rule/ • @EPABeaches – You can follow the @EPABeaches Twitter account and receive tweets of news and information on bathing waters and tweets of when bathing water incidents start and are over