2019 Bathing Water Profile for Filey
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Filey Beach is an extensive sandy resort beach on the Yorkshire coast. The designated bathing water area is 850 metres in length with a gentle slope. At low tide a large area of the beach is exposed and the water’s edge can be some distance away. The beach is backed by the town of Filey.
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Scarborough
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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. The Environment Agency do this by monitoring the quality of streams and visiting sites where the Environment Agency give advice on compliance with regulations and good practice as appropriate.
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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 is one storm overflow that discharges effluent into the bathing water area near Church Ravine Beck and north of the bathing water monitoring point. When these overflows operate, they discharge diluted and screened effluent into the sea and the stream which may sometimes result in reduced bathing water quality. Yorkshire Water is one of the organisations involved in the Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership. The partnership is working together to ensure Yorkshire's bathing beaches meet or go beyond 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. With the partnership aim to achieve Excellent classification under the revised Bathing Water Directive, Yorkshire Water has carried out investment at Filey sewer system to increase storm storage. The investment will reduce the amount of storm effluent being discharged into the sea. This will lead to better bathing water quality at Filey beach. 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/
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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 in Filey. This has resulted in major improvements in its quality.
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For the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 1% of visits, with 20% of visits noting the presence of seaweed (macroalgae). 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. The bathing water partnership has carried out misconnection surveys in key areas of Filey town and has identified a number of properties that have misconnection issues. The Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership and the Environmental Health Officers from Scarborough Borough Council have been working with these home owners to rectify their misconnections. Investigations have continued and further sources are now under investigation.
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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. 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. 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.
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2019 Bathing Water Profile for Filey
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2019-09-30
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2019-05-01
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Streams are typically affected by waste entering the watercourses further up the catchment. Urban and agricultural pollutants in the surface water runoff are washed down into the streams and the bathing beach. Martins Ravine Beck discharges to the bathing water area via a short sea outfall south of the bathing water monitoring point. Church Ravine Beck discharges into the sea via a short sea outfall north of the bathing water monitoring point. Part of the beck is culverted (runs underground). During and following heavy rainfall, the surface water is diverted away from the outfall by a large flap valve in the sea wall and discharges directly onto the beach. This may sometimes result in reduced water quality.
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In 2000, Filey Sewage Treatment Works was built to ensure all effluents are treated and disinfected. In addition, the treated effluents were diverted so that they were discharged at the long sea outfall at Filey Brigg, where it is further away from the coast and it receives greater dilution and mixing by the current. These improvements have helped to protect the bathing water quality. Yorkshire water has carried out further investment at Filey works, which was completed in Spring of 2014. The investment will improve bathing water quality at Filey.
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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 Filey 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 6% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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An area of 4.6 square kilometres (known as the hydrological catchment) drains into the bathing water. There are two watercourses within the Filey beach surface water catchment; Church Ravine Beck to the north and Martins Ravine Beck to the south. Parts of the watercourses are culverted. A culvert takes the water underground in urbanised areas. The catchment is largely made up of the town with arable farmlands in the surrounding areas. As a result, surface water runs off the land and enters the streams and the beach very quickly.
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Filey
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Filey
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Sampling point at Filey
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512003
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54.20824693207295
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-0.284226049497505
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480524
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Sampling point at Filey
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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 07600:1
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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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