2024 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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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. The Environment Agency worked with the water company to investigate the performance of their sewage network in the area. This investigation reported in 2012 and an improvement scheme was implemented in 2015 to construct storage tanks at Dalton Park and increase capacity in the sewer network. This reduced the occurrence of spills, which minimised pollution entering the Dalton Dene and reaching the 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 (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 53% 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 (2020-2023) 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 procedures. The Environment Agency makes a daily pollution risk forecast at this site based on the effects of rain, tide and wind on bathing water quality. These factors affect the levels of bacteria that get washed into the sea from livestock, sewage and urban drainage via rivers and streams and how they disperse. When these factors combine to make short term pollution likely we issue a pollution risk warning on this website and the beach manager will display a sign advising against bathing at the bathing water. After a short term pollution event, levels of bacteria typically return to normal after a day or so but it’s possible to have several warning days in a row. Details of the work to reduce the sources of bacteria at this bathing water are detailed in this profile. In 2023 12 pollution risk warnings were issued for this bathing water. All bathing waters have the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if this occurs a pollution risk warning will be issued with associated advice against bathing on this website.
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2024 Bathing Water Profile for Seaham Hall Beach
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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Investigations into the impacts of local streams suggest that during wet weather, intermittent discharges into the Dalton Beck can cause temporary reduction in bathing water quality at Seaham Hall Beach.
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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 (2020-2023) 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 39% 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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2024 05 01 t00:00:00
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2024-05-01T00:00:00
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2024 09 30 t23:59:59
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2024-09-30T23:59:59
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2024 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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