Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2012 summary report for UK bathing water monitoring results under the Bathing Water Directive December 2012 © Crown copyright 2012 You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail: [email protected] This document/publication is also available on our website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/water-quality/bathing/ Any enquiries regarding this document/publication should be sent to us at: Bathing Water Team Water Availability and Quality Area 2A/B Ergon House Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL Email: [email protected] Tel: 08459 33 55 77 PB13859 1 Contents 2012 summary report for UK bathing waters monitoring results under the Bathing Water Directive ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Section 1: Changes from the 2011 list of designated bathing waters ....................................... 3 Section 2: Bathing season and sampling frequency ................................................................. 4 Section 3: Parameters .............................................................................................................. 4 2 2012 summary report for UK bathing waters monitoring results under the Bathing Water Directive This report is based on data provided to the European Commission under Article 13 of Directive 76/160/EEC (the Bathing Water Directive), as amended by Article 3 of Directive 91/692/EEC. It provides a summary of the results of the 2012 survey of the quality of United Kingdom bathing waters included within the scope of the Bathing Water Directive. Section 1: Changes from the 2011 list of designated bathing waters Fourteen new bathing waters were designated in 2012, 12 in Wales and two in England: England: • Chapel Porth • Whitsand Bay (Sharrow) Wales: • Abereiddy • Abermawr • Druidston Haven • Freshwater West • Little Haven • Marine Lake, Rhyl • Morfa Nefyn • Nolton Haven • Penally • Porth Neigwl • Sandy Haven • Wisemans Bridge Two bathing waters were dedesignated: Skinburness in England (North West region) and Cranfield (Nicholsons Strand) in Northern Ireland. No results were recorded at Newhaven (South East region), where access was closed during the 2012 season. Blackpool North (North West region), which had been closed for engineering works since 2007, has re-opened this year. The names of 13 bathing waters in England were amended in 2012: New name from 2012 Previous name Chapel St Leonards Chapel St Leonard Combesgate Beach, Woolacombe Barricane Bay, Woolacombe 3 Cotswold Country Park and Beach Cotswolds Water Park (Keynes Lake 32) Ilfracombe Wildersmouth Ilfracombe Capstone (Wildersmouth) Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach Lyme Regis Church Beach Lyme Regis Front Beach Lyme Regis Cobb Beach Maenporth Maen Porth Marske Sands Sea at Marske Sands Perranuthnoe Perran Sands Polurrian Cove Pollurian Cove Porthgwidden Porth Gwidden Portmellon Port Mellon Watergate Bay Watergate Section 2: Bathing season and sampling frequency The bathing season is generally taken as being from 15 May to 30 September in England and Wales, and from 1 June to 15 September in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Throughout the UK a minimum of 20 samples are usually taken throughout the season. This is in excess of the minimum requirements of the Directive. One bathing water in England, Tunstall in the North East region, was sampled for a shorter period during 2012, between 3 July and 30 September, because of access problems during the early part of the season. Sampling frequency has been reduced at eight Scottish bathing waters in accordance with footnote (1) of the Annex to the Directive. We are in a transitional stage as the revised Directive, 2006/7/EC, supersedes Directive 76/160/EEC. Article 3(6) of Directive 2006/7/EC allows samples taken during short-term pollution, as defined in Article 2(8), to be disregarded. This provision has been introduced in Scotland at 23 designated sites where electronic signage displays daily water quality prediction. During the 2012 season, 12 samples were discounted at 10 of these sites. The samples had been taken on dates under predicted short-term pollution. Only one of the 12 samples resulted in a bathing water securing compliance; the other 11 discounted samples were single samples. Short-term pollution provisions have currently not been implemented in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Section 3: Parameters During the transition period between now and 2014 the new Directive’s parameters will be used to assess compliance with the standards set by the original Directive. Sampling for E.coli and intestinal enterococci will be used to assess compliance with the standards for faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci respectively. Sampling for total coliforms and for the physicochemical standards of Directive 76/160/EEC has been discontinued. The tables contain a numerical summary of the information required to assess compliance with Directive 76/160/EEC’s mandatory faecal coliform standards. They are arranged to show the British coastal bathing waters in clockwise order, starting at Southerness, which is the most south-westerly bathing water in Scotland, and proceeding around Scotland, England and Wales 4 to Silloth in the Environment Agency North West region. The Isle of Wight waters are placed in the report between Highcliffe and Christchurch, that is to say, as the last waters in the Environment Agency South East Region. The Northern Ireland waters are reported in clockwise order from Magilligan to Cranfield Bay. The summary of the information for freshwater bathing waters is given after the information about coastal bathing waters. For each water, the following information is given: 1. The grid reference E.coli 2. Number of results 3. Median of results 4. Range of results (minimum and maximum) 5. Number of results failing to conform to the Directive’s limit values Intestinal enterococci 6. Number of results 7. Median of results 8. Range of results (minimum and maximum) 9. Number of results failing to conform to the Directive’s limit values Article 3(7) of Directive 2006/7/EC came into force in 2012. This allows the monitoring calendar to be suspended in the event of an abnormal situation, which is defined as an event or combination of events impacting on bathing water quality at the location concerned and not expected to occur on average more than once every four years (Article 2(9)). Public information must be put in place to advise of the nature and expected duration of the incident. There have been seven abnormal situations in England, affecting a total of 22 bathing waters, and two in Wales. Two bathing waters in North West region, Morecambe North and Morecambe South, were impacted by two separate abnormal situations. Region Date of incident Bathing waters affected Nature of incident South East 4 – 12 June Botany Bay (Broadstairs) Pumping station failure Broadstairs (Stone Bay) Broadstairs (Viking Bay) Joss Bay (Broadstairs) Margate Fulsam Rock Margate The Bay Minnis Bay (Birchington) Ramsgate Sands Ramsgate Western Undercliffe Walpole Bay (Margate) St Mildreds Bay (Westgate) West Bay (Westgate) Westbrook Bay (Margate) 5 12 – 25 June Littlehampton Localised flooding 15 – 25 June Felpham Localised flooding 3 - 7 September Lancing, Beach Green Sewage pump failure Southwick Worthing South West 4 – 11 July Hope Cove Collapsed sewer Wales 21-22 August Aberystwyth South Sewage discharge 22-23 August Noltan Haven Sewage discharge North West 1 – 5 May Heysham Half Moon Bay Pumping station failure Morecambe North Morecambe South 30 Aug – 3 Sept Morecambe North Pumping station failure Morecambe South 6 cBWD (76/160/EEC) Bathing Waters Survey 2012 Results Coastal Bathing Waters (United Kingdom) E.coli and intestinal enterococci E.coli intestinal ente rococci Bathing National No. Median Min Max Nos. No. Median Min Max Nos. Water Grid of failing of failing Reference Samples to Samples to conform conform SCOTLAND Southerness NX9768654006 20 100 < 10 600 0 20 45 < 10 700 4 Sandyhills NX8920055100 20 375 10 3000 1 20 145 < 10 1400 11 Rockcliffe NX8477753682 19 220 < 10 1000 0 19 90 < 10 250 7 Dhoon Bay NX6574848600 19 250 < 10 1800 0 19 90 < 10 680 6 Brighouse Bay NX6351645472 19 90 < 10 1900 0 19 50 < 10 700 4 Carrick NX5749549981 20 15 < 10 380 0 20 30 < 10 300 4 Mossyard NX5525051870 20 270 < 10 2000 0 20 90 < 10 7800 9 Girvan NX1815497413 20 15 < 10 2300 1 20 35 < 10 2200 5 Maidens NS2170008501 20 10 < 10 430 0 20 10 < 10 80 0 Culzean NS2204109681 20 10 < 10 190 0 20 10 < 10 100 0 Heads of Ayr NS3020218902 20 70 < 10 8500 3 20 25 < 10 2300 6 Ayr (South Beach) NS3296421888 19 120 < 10 1900 0 19 80 < 10 670 7 Prestwick NS3446626192 20 95 < 10 > 10000 1 20 45 < 10 > 10000 7 Troon (South Beach) NS3207030620 20 20 < 10 590 0 20 10 < 10 290 1 Irvine NS3070037499 20 130 < 10 2000 0 20 40 < 10 690 6 Saltcoats/Ardrossan NS2345341997 19 80 < 10 1200 0 19 40 < 10 790 7 Seamill NS1980247319 19 10 < 10 830 0 19 20 < 10 540 2 Largs (Pencil Beach) NS2080457601 20 20 < 10 140 0 20 15 < 10 90 0 Millport Bay NS1659854917 20 50 < 10 9200 1 20 15 < 10 1900 4 Lunderston Bay NS2040074514 20 20 < 10 1500 0 20 10 < 10 270 3 Ettrick Bay NS0372466058 19 30