2024 Bathing Water Profile for Blackpool South
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Blackpool is a resort town on Lancashire's north west coast. Blackpool South bathing water is sandy and very flat with some small grooves caused by the waves. There is a promenade running alongside the beach. Blackpool South Pier lies to the north of the bathing water. The Blackpool Pleasure Beach attraction is located behind the beach.
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Blackpool
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Lancashire
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Since the mid-1990s, the Environment Agency has studied the Ribble Estuary to identify water quality issues that may impact on the bathing waters at the mouth of the estuary, including Blackpool South. A computer model has been developed to predict the impact of water company investment schemes on water quality in the estuary. In 2011 the Environment Agency surveyed the catchment around Blackpool South to identify sources of contamination. Where significant issues were found these have been investigated and improvements made where needed. The Environment Agency contributed to a 4 year research project - Cloud 2 Coast - between 2011 and 2015 delivered by the Universities of Sheffield, Cardiff and Aberystwyth. The project developed river and coastal models of the Ribble catchment to understand the catchment sources which could impact bathing water quality. The project looked at options for managing these sources to improve bathing water quality.
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The Abercorn Place and Wetherby & Albany Avenue overflows located to the south of Blackpool South are no longer in use. The Lennox Gate/Harrowside Pumping Station only discharges under exceptional conditions. There are several small surface water outfalls which discharge close to the beach. There is no impact on bathing water quality from these outfalls. There are numerous storm, emergency and surface water outfalls that discharge to the River Ribble and its estuary. Sewer overflows operating during, and following, periods of heavy rain, can result in reduced bathing water quality at Blackpool South. A significant improvement programme to overflows around the Preston area was completed by United Utilities in 2013 to protect bathing water quality. The programme included the construction of a large storage tunnel (40,790 m3) to the south of the River Ribble to store storm flows as well as a number of other individual schemes to improve storm and emergency overflows. The Manchester Square Pumping Station and Bloomfield Road storage tanks, both located in Blackpool, were upgraded in 2010 alongside improvements to Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works. Further work providing additional storm sewage storage at Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works and the Bloomfield Road storage tanks was completed in 2015 further improving Blackpool South's bathing water quality. As part of the improvement programme of work for United Utilities (from 2015 to 2020) the storm overflows from Chorley, Blackburn and Preston Sewage Treatment Works will be improved to protect bathing water quality. Work has already been carried out to reduce the number of storm discharges from the Manchester Square, Anchorsholme and Chatsworth Avenue Pumping Stations which will help to improve bathing water quality on the Fylde coast in Lancashire. The programme also requires that all storm overflows close to bathing waters have equipment installed to monitor spills to the environment. This will help to identify where bathing water improvements may be needed in the future. This bathing water is included in the Surfers Against Sewage “Safer Seas Service”. This service can alert you to Combined Storm Sewer Overflow discharges via a phone App and in addition, it includes the Environment Agency Pollution Risk Forecast warnings where they are available. Further details of the service can be found at - http://www.sas.org.uk/safer-seas-service/ and via United Utilities website at http://www.unitedutilities.com/Bathing-Waters-Map.aspx.
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There are a number of water company assets located on the River Ribble and its estuary which can impact on bathing water quality at Blackpool South. The Environment Agency has worked closely with United Utilities since the 1990s to make significant improvements to the sewerage infrastructure around Blackpool South bathing water. Sea Change, a £500 million coastal clean-up project, was launched in 1994 by the Environment Agency in conjunction with United Utilities, to improve bathing water quality in the North West, particularly along the Fylde Coast. Under this programme United Utilities made improvements in the Blackpool area by constructing a tunnel to provide storage for storm discharges and transferring flows from four coastal pumping stations serving the Blackpool area to a new sewage treatment works at Fleetwood. To the south of Blackpool South bathing water United Utilities has upgraded Southport, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Hesketh Bank and Preston Sewage Treatment Works to ensure that discharges are treated and disinfected to protect bathing water quality. Large storage tanks have also been built at Preston, Wigan, Southport and Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works, together with large storage tanks in central Blackpool to reduce the storm overflows. Improvements have also been made to the Fairhaven, Lytham and Ballam Road Pumping Stations, to protect bathing water quality.
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The Blackpool promenade has highway and surface water drains which flow onto the beach. These are not known to cause a decline in bathing water quality.
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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 70% of visits. 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. The Environment Agency has investigated a contaminated surface water discharging close to Blackpool South bathing water and worked with the owner during 2015 to rectify the pollution source.
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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton (microscopic algae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 5% of visits. This bathing water can be affected by occasional blooms ofPhytoplankton (microscopic algae) which are not harmful, but can result in the water appearing discoloured or a foam forming on the water. 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, sunlight and seasonality 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 78 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 Blackpool South
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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A step change improvement in bathing water quality at Blackpool South was identified from 5th May 2014 due to improvements made to United Utilities assets within the Ribble catchment. Bathing water quality monitoring samples collected prior to this date shall not be used for classification.
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The River Ribble can cause reduced water quality at Blackpool South particularly after rainfall.
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There are a number of sewage treatment works, including Southport and Preston, which can impact Blackpool South bathing water quality. However, they all have disinfection provided ensuring bathing water quality is protected. United Utilities upgraded Fleetwood Sewage Treatment Works in 2010. This has improved the sewerage system on the Fylde coast by reducing storm and emergency overflows to the sea improving bathing water quality. During 2012 United Utilities upgraded Blackburn Sewage Treatment Works providing disinfection to deliver bathing water improvements.
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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 Blackpool South for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 2% of visits. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 2% of visits, with 64% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 3% of visits.
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The land around Blackpool South is urban with little agricultural land bordering the seafront. The River Ribble catchment to the south of the bathing water contains large areas of farmland both around the estuary and further inland. During and after periods of heavy rainfall excess water may not soak into agricultural land causing run off into rivers and the sea. The quality of the bathing water may decline as a result of such events. Catchment Sensitive Farming, delivered by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency, delivers practical solutions and targeted support to enable farmers and land managers to take voluntary action to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture to protect water bodies and the environment. Actions include a programme of educational events for farmers, advice to farmers and land managers, farm visits, and surveys of the area to identify pollution risks. Ribble Rivers Trust focussed their Tidal Ribble Project, in collaboration with Unitied Utilities and Environment Agency, on farms that have benefitted from on-farm interventions to reduce pollution risk. Interventions such as fencing, roofing slurry stores and dirty water seperation have been applied and continue to be installed.
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A discharge from a pipe close to Blackpool South bathing water was investigated during 2013 and confirmed as a source of pollution. Action has been taken to improve the quality of this discharge and it is monitored closely during the bathing season. The ‘Call of Nature’ campaign was run by Morecambe Bay Partnership with the support of the North West Catchment Partnerships, which resulted in the development of user friendly materials to educate private sewage treatment plant owners into maintenance requirement and ways to identify causes for concern. Materials were developed as printed documents but also available on the web and mobile friendly web page at http://www.callofnature.info/
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The bathing water sits on the low lying Fylde coastline in Lancashire. The bathing water is flanked by urban fringe all along the coastline with agricultural land dominating further inland. Most surface water in the catchment is diverted away from the bathing water.
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Blackpool South
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Blackpool South
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Sampling point at Blackpool South
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330326
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53.79064259107068
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-3.059086159238381
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433222
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Sampling point at Blackpool South
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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 42100:1
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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's 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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