2019 Bathing Water Profile for Southend Three Shells
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Three Shells Beach is in the centre of Southend-on-Sea, just to the west of the pier and next to the Adventure Island Amusement Park. It's a small sandy beach with a tidal pool at the eastern end. It is in a sheltered position with a shallow profile, and is very popular with families.
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Southend-on-Sea
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Essex
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The Environment Agency has investigated possible sources of pollution at this bathing water, including storm overflows and surface water outfalls. The results of these investigations led to Anglian Water Services Limited (AWS) carrying out measures to reduce the likelihood and amount of storm sewage being discharged. The Environment Agency and AWS also jointly investigated misconnected foul drainage to surface water sewers in the catchment. The resulting actions from these investigations are detailed in the following sections.
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This bathing water may be affected by discharges which can occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow. Within the wider catchment of the bathing water there are several storm and emergency overflows, including a storm discharge directly onto the bathing water beach. Improvements by AWS to the local sewerage network has reduced the likelihood of a storm discharge, however during and after periods of rainfall these discharges could have an adverse affect on bathing water quality. 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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AWS own and manage assets which may cause pollution, mainly through blockages and discharges from their sewer network. The Environment Agency has worked with AWS to investigate problems with storm overflows. This led to improvements to storm overflows which AWS completed in 1998. AWS further investigated storm overflows and completed work to improve the local sewer network in 2005. The Environment Agency and AWS worked to identify and fix misconnected foul sewers in 2004. Since 2013 both the Environment Agency and AWS have undertaken monitoring of outfalls along the Southend coastline to assess their impact on bathing water quality. These actions have improved the bathing water quality. Extensive work by AWS was completed by April 2017. This included modelling pollution sources, rectifying misconnections and increasing storm overflow capacity. The Environment Agency and AWS meet quarterly to discuss operational issues, including those that may affect this bathing water.
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This bathing water catchment has a series of surface water outfalls that drain surface water from the surrounding area. The misconnection of domestic foul sewers to surface water drainage can affect the water quality of rivers and the sea. The Environment Agency have regularly inspected and sampled the surface water outfalls, which led to AWS fixing a misconnected foul sewer in 2004. Results have shown that this bathing water may be subject to reduced water quality after periods of rainfall.
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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 14% of visits, with 82% of visits noting the presence of seaweed (macroalgae). The bathing water has potential to become covered with seaweed, depending on tides and the weather. Groynes and rocks, platforms or other fixed objects may also develop a covering of seaweed which can be slippery.
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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 assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 4% of visits. Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) increase in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as a phytoplankton bloom. Blooms of phytoplankton 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. 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 Southend Three Shells 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 Southend Three Shells
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2019-09-30
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2019-05-01
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Three Shells Beach is situated in the outer Thames Estuary, but impacts from the River Thames or any of the smaller surface waters that drain to the Thames estuary are not thought to be significant in terms of bathing water quality for this bathing water.
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Southend Sewage Treatment Work's (STW) long sea outfall is located five kilometres to the south of the bathing water so that bathing waters are protected.
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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 Southend Three Shells for the four year (2015-2018) 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 68% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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There are a small number of farms in the bathing water catchment, the majority of which are arable. Problems with bathing water quality in the Southend area are not believed to be linked to this sector and therefore no specific work with this sector has taken place.
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Three Shells Beach is surrounded by the large town of Southend-on-Sea. The immediate surrounding catchment is entirely urban.
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Southend Three Shells
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Southend Three Shells
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Sampling point at Southend Three Shells
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588200
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51.53298538027784
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0.71206117584268
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185050
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Sampling point at Southend Three Shells
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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 11850:1
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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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