2024 Bathing Water Profile for Rottingdean Beach
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Rottingdean is a village suburb to the east of Brighton, on the Sussex coast of the English Channel. Between the groynes, the gravel beach slopes steeply at first but levels off with more sand towards low water. Behind the beach there is a promenade all the way to Brighton.
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The City of Brighton and Hove
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East Sussex
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This bathing water could be affected by a discharge from the Portobello storm overflow that can occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system. This outfall is designed not to affect bathing water compliance. Within the vicinity of the beach, approximately 40m to the west of the bathing water point, there is a surface water outfall. Reduced water quality may persist in the area adjacent to the outfall for some time after rainfall has occurred. Discharges occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system but are designed not to affect bathing water compliance. There is another surface water drain over 1k m away to the west.
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The Newhaven Seaford long sea outfall was commissioned in 1991, and Shoreham and Worthing long sea outfalls in 1996. Treated sewage from Brighton and Hove was discharged from the 1.8km Brighton Portobello outfall, to the east of the bathing water. In 1998 a tunnel was constructed under Brighton and Hove beach to intercept and store storm water prior to treatment. further treatment was installed at Newhaven prior to 2001 and at Shoreham sewage treatment works and Worthing sewage treatment works prior to the 2002 bathing season.
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The bathing water can become covered with seaweed, depending on tides and the weather. Groynes, rocks and other fixed objects may have 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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Microscopic algae (phytoplankton) 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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There are no active pollution risk forecasts made at this bathing water. However any bathing water has the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if this occurs a pollution risk warning with associated advice against bathing will be issued on this website.
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2024 Bathing Water Profile for Rottingdean Beach
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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Along this section of coastline there are a number of treated sewage treatment works (Newhaven, Shoreham, Worthing) all with long sea outfalls designed to protect bathing water compliance. The treated 1.8km outfall at Portobello was replaced by the 2.5km Peacehaven outfall (built in 2010 to serve the new Brighton and Hove sewage treatment works, and was commissioned in 2012). These outfalls are designed to protect bathing water compliance.
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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.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is about 23km2, but because of the porous chalk geology there are no surface water courses. The upper catchment includes the Downs and the rest the majority of Saltdean and Rottingdean.
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Rottingdean Beach
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Rottingdean Beach
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Sampling point at Rottingdean Beach
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537032
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50.80179
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-0.05673
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102048
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Sampling point at Rottingdean 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 14850:1
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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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