2015 Bathing Water Profile for Staithes
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Staithes Beach is a small rural beach situated on the Yorkshire coast at the northern edge of the North York Moors. The sandy beach is 100 metres in length and is protected by a harbour wall. The beach is backed by a promenade, tourist establishments, houses and holiday cottages, which are tightly packed on the cliffs.
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North Yorkshire
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The Environment Agency regularly carry out investigations to identify sources of pollution in the catchment. This is done by monitoring the quality of streams and visiting sites where advice is given on compliance with regulations and good practice.
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The quality of the bathing water may sometimes be affected by storm, emergency and surface water outfalls. Storm overflows may operate during and after heavy rainfall. This is when the sewer system can become overwhelmed by the amount of surface water entering it. The overflows prevent sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties. There are no outfalls discharging directly into the bathing area. However, there are three outfalls near the bathing water. One storm overflow and one surface water outfall are located next to the slipway and an emergency overflow discharging into the harbour. The operation of the storm overflows may sometimes result in reduced bathing water quality. The emergency overflow has been designed to operate only under severe weather conditions and when there are problems with the sewerage network system. The Environment Agency do not expect this outfall to impact on bathing water compliance. Yorkshire Water is one of the organisations involved in the Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership. The partnership is working together to give Staithes bathing water the best chance of meeting the requirements of the revised Bathing Water Directive in 2015. The Environment Agency, Scarborough Borough Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, North Yorkshire County Council and other interested parties are also involved in the partnership which covers the length of the Yorkshire coastline. 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. Further details of the service can be found at - http://www.sas.org.uk/safer-seas-service/
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Since 1998, the Environment Agency have worked closely with Yorkshire Water to identify and deliver significant investment in the sewerage infrastructure around Staithes Beach.
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Environment Agency research suggests the bathing water is not subject to an excess 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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Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) naturally increase in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as a phytoplankton bloom. The Environment Agency research suggests this bathing water does not have a history of phytoplankton blooms.
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2015 Bathing Water Profile for Staithes
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2015-09-30
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2015-05-01
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Streams are typically affected by urban or diffuse agricultural pollutants from further up the catchment. Environment Agency research suggests that agriculture within the Staithes catchment is affecting the quality of water in the freshwater streams. Staithes Beck flows across Staithes bathing beach, mixing with seawater in the harbour area before ebbing out to sea with the tide. Water quality in Staithes Beck has a direct influence on bathing water quality. After heavy rainfall, there is an increase in polluted runoff from agricultural farmlands in the catchment. This may sometimes result in reduced water quality in the streams and at the beach.
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In 2001 Hinderwell Sewage Treatment Works was built to ensure all effluents are treated and disinfected to protect bathing water quality. The main sewerage outfall (the long sea outfall) has been extended to 100 metres outside the harbour wall which helps reduce the impact of the discharge on bathing water quality at the 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 Staithes for the four year (2012-2015) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 1% of visits. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 8% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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Part of the Environment Agency role is to work with farmers to reduce the effects of farming on water quality. The Environment Agency provide advice on how to comply with regulations and good practice on farms to ensure that minimal levels of pollution enter the watercourses. During and after periods of heavy rainfall, runoff from agricultural areas will be greatly increased. The quality of the bathing water may be adversely affected as a result of such events. There are a number of farms in the Staithes catchment. The Environment Agency research suggests that a major factor on bathing water quality at Staithes is pollution from agricultural farmland. The Environment Agency will be working with partners such as Catchment Sensitive Farming to provide advice and grants, where applicable, to reduce the impact of diffuse pollution from agriculture.
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An area of 45 square kilometres (known as the hydrological catchment) drains into the bathing water. The catchment is made up of managed grasslands, woodlands, arable farmlands and livestock farmlands. The upper catchment is sandstone bedrock which has been cut through by four watercourses; Easington Beck and Roxby Beck run through a valley to the west, Mounter Beck and Dales Beck run through a valley to the east. Roxby Beck makes up the largest sub-catchment, approximately 10 kilometres in length. It begins at the Easington High Moor, joins with Scaling Reservoir then flows through the forest from Scaling northwards to Easington. The stream then merges with the other three watercourses near Daleshouse and becomes Staithes Beck, which drains into the North Sea via Staithes. The steep valley slopes in the top catchment lead to the streams having a fast response to rainfall.
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Staithes
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Staithes
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Sampling point at Staithes
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478411
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54.55863739897089
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-0.789035185297937
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518828
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Sampling point at Staithes
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p152 dT23 h59 m59 s
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2015 05 01 t00:00:00
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2015-05-01T00:00:00
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2015 09 30 t23:59:59
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2015-09-30T23:59:59
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2015 06800:1
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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 European 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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