South West bathing water sampling starts

Environment Agency begins sampling on bathing waters in the region

The Environment Agency has started its summer season of water sampling at 191 bathing waters off the coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

Every year between May 1 and the end of September 30 samples are taken from each of the region’s European Commission (EC) designated bathing waters and checked for water quality.

The samples are analysed at the Environment Agency’s laboratory at Starcross, near Exeter, Devon and measured against strict EC mandatory and even tighter guideline standards. They are tested for various types of sewage-related bacteria that might indicate a risk to bathers’ health.

The Environment Agency sends the results to the relevant local authorities. It also investigates poor water quality to pinpoint and resolve problems.

Compliance with the mandatory standards has been consistently high in the south west in recent years reaching 100 per cent in 2006. However, the last few wet summers have caused water quality to dip as heavy rain causes pollution from the land to run off into bathing waters.

‘The South West has 1,000 kilometres of coastline and 191 designated bathing waters. The coastline and bathing waters are vital to the region’s economy, particularly in terms of their contribution to the tourism and leisure industry, so it is important to know the waters are of a high quality,’ said Richard Cresswell, Regional Director of the Environment Agency.

‘We will continue to work with potential polluters so that together we can ensure our good quality waters are maintained and we can provide cleaner seas for everyone. This is going to be even more important as new and stricter bathing water legislation comes into force in five years time.’

Swimmers, surfers and other beach users can check the quality of bathing waters on the Environment Agency’s website www.environment-agency.gov.uk on the ‘Your Environment’ pages.

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Note to Editors:

The bathing season runs from May 15 to September 30. The main survey sampling begins on May 1. The aim of the Bathing Waters Directive is to protect public health from faecal pollution of bathing waters.

There are two sets of standards for bathing water quality. The minimum or ‘mandatory’ standard and guideline which is 20 times more stringent than mandatory. To be eligible for a Blue Flag award a beach must meet the guideline standard and pass one extra test for a bacteria known as faecal streptococci.