2019 Bathing Water Profile for Seaham Hall Beach
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Seaham Hall Beach is a gently sloping resort beach with the designated area measuring approximately 800 metres in length. The beach is mainly sand above the high water mark and a mixture of sand and rock in the inter tidal area. The designated area is in the centre of a two kilometres long bay and the main access to the beach is via stairs. The beach is backed with low cliffs with a promenade at its southern end. Until 2013, it was officially called Seaham beach but the name has been changed to reflect local custom.
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County Durham
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Durham
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Occasional high counts of bacteria at Seaham and Seaham Hall, following wet weather, lead to an investigation by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency has worked with the water company to secure funding to investigate the performance of their sewerage network in the area. This investigation reported during 2012 and an improvement scheme has been implemented.
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There are no outfalls discharging directly onto the bathing beach but a number of outfalls discharge to local streams and can temporarily affect bathing water quality after heavy rainfall. A scheme was completed implemented during 2015 to improve storm overflows discharging to the Dalton Beck with the aim of reducing their impact on this bathing water.
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Crude sewage discharges in the Seaham area were intercepted and connected to a long sea outfall to the south of the town in the early 1990's. Improvements were also made to the inland sewerage network to improve combined sewer overflows (CSO) discharging to streams that may have been impacting on the beach. A sewage treatment works was built in 2000 to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
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For the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 22% of visits. Environment Agency research suggests this bathing water does not have a history of large amounts of seaweed (macro algae).
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Modern sewerage systems have two separate systems, one takes foul sewage to sewage treatment, the other takes rainwater runoff through surface water drains to rivers, lakes and the sea. Misconnections occur when waste water pipes are plumbed into surface water drains instead of the foul water sewerage system. This can give rise to pollution when the waste water is discharged directly to the environment through the surface water drain. For example, a washing machine or toilet may be incorrectly plumbed so that it discharges to the surface drain rather than the foul sewage drain.
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For the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton (microscopic algae) was not noted at this site. Environment Agency research suggests this bathing water does not have a history of phytoplankton blooms. The risks to human health from contact, ingestion or inhalation with marine algae that currently occur in UK coastal waters are considered to be low. However, some individuals may be more sensitive and display some reactions. A common marine algae found in UK coastal waters is Phaeocystis, which is often mistaken for sewage as it forms foam and a brown scum, but it is non-toxic.
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This bathing water is subject to short term pollution. Short term pollution is caused when heavy rainfall or high tides wash faecal material into the sea from livestock, sewage and urban drainage via rivers and streams. At this site the risk of encountering reduced water quality increases after rainfall and typically returns to normal after 1-3 days. The Environment Agency makes daily pollution risk forecasts based on rainfall and tidal patterns and will issue a pollution risk warning if high tides or heavy rainfall occurs to enable bathers to avoid periods of increased risk. The Environment Agency works to reduce the sources of this pollution through pollution prevention measures, work with agriculture and water companies. 4 warnings advising against swimming due to an increase risk of short term pollution were issued in 2018 for Seaham Hall Beach bathing water. These warnings were issued because of the effects of heavy rain on the water quality.
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2019 Bathing Water Profile for Seaham Hall Beach
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2019-09-30
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2019-05-01
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Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar. At Seaham Hall Beach for the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not noted at this site. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 22% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is approximately 6.7 square kilometres, which is a mixture of arable and grassland in the upper catchment and urban in the lower.
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Seaham Hall Beach
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Seaham Hall Beach
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Sampling point at Seaham Hall Beach
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442380
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54.85044887956588
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-1.341494769532371
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550825
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Sampling point at Seaham Hall Beach
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p152 dT23 h59 m59 s
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2019 05 01 t00:00:00
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2019-05-01T00:00:00
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2019 09 30 t23:59:59
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2019-09-30T23:59:59
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2019 05700:1
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Seaweed (macroalgae) and phytoplankton (microscopic algae) are a natural part of the marine and freshwater environment. Below we note whether these have been recorded in quantities sufficient to be a nuisance.
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The majority of sewers in England are “combined sewers” and carry both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. An emergency overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage in the sewerage system.
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Heavy rain falling on pavements and roads often flows into surface water drains or highway drains, ending up in local rivers and ultimately the sea. The quality of bathing water may be adversely affected as a result of such events.
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It is the Environment Agency role to drive improvement of water quality at bathing waters that are at risk of failing higher standards. It is natural for water to run off the land to the sea. Water quality at a bathing water is dependent upon the type and area of land (the catchment) draining to the water and the activities undertaken in that catchment.
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Discharges from sewage treatment works have improved substantially in England since the 1980s.
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