2019 Bathing Water Profile for Hove
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Brighton and Hove is a large resort situated on the Sussex coast of the English Channel. Hove beach is west of the disused West Pier. The gravel slopes steeply at first but levels off with more sand towards low water. Behind the beach there is the bustling promenade with many resort facilities.
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The City of Brighton and Hove
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East Sussex
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A contaminated bathing water sample result in July 2010 was investigated and Southern Water found and repaired a blockage in the foul sewer at the junction between Bennet Ave and Woodland Drive which was causing sewage to overflow into the surface water drainage system.
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This bathing water could be affected by a discharge from the Albion storm overflow, beside Brighton Pier, that can occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system. This outfall is designed to protect bathing water compliance. Brighton and Hove has Europe's largest storm water storage tunnel, 4.8km long, 6m in diameter and 30m below ground, which is designed to restrict storm overflows from these outfalls to a frequency of 1 in 50 years. 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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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 is 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. Treatment was installed at Newhaven prior to 2001and at Shoreham sewage treatment works and Worthing sewage treatment works prior to the 2002 bathing season.
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For the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 18% of visits. This bathing water does not have a history of large amounts of seaweed.
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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 11% of visits. 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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2019 Bathing Water Profile for Hove
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2019-09-30
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2019-05-01
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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 comissioned 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. At Hove for the four year (2015-2018) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not noted at this site. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 1% of visits, with 16% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is about 1300 hectares, but because of the porous chalk geology there are no surface water courses. The upper catchment includes the Downs but the majority of the catchment is the Hove area of the city.
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Hove
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Hove
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Sampling point at Hove
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529225
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50.823211672951224
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-0.166684558773012
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104232
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Sampling point at Hove
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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 15000:1
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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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