Dog faeces is the biggest contributor to poor bathing water quality in Dublin.
A new report shows more effort needs to be made to encourage people to pick up after their dogs.
The study looked at bathing water across Dublin and found in half the cases where it was deemed 'poor', dog faeces were a contributing factor.
The survey, involving reps from UCD and the four local authorities, said one dog poo had the potential “to pollute a volume of water the size of a tennis court”.
The taskforce said it was considering greater fines to force people to pick up after their dogs but feel it would be better to raise awareness about the impact of dog fouling on waters where people regularly swim.
