2024 Bathing Water Profile for Pevensey Bay
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Pevensey Bay is a resort beach on the Sussex coast between Eastbourne and Hastings. The small town of Pevensey backs on to the beach. The beach is predominantly shingle, with shallow sand flats exposed at low water.
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Wealden District
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East Sussex
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The Environment Agency carried out investigations into local sewerage arrangements and found high levels of contamination around Val Princeps Road. A survey confirmed that sewers around this area were leaking. Further CCTV investigations by SWS identified a defect in a private lateral sewer, which was repaired by 2001. Since water quality did not improve significantly, the Environment Agency carried out a series of surveys across the catchment in 2008 and 2009. However, the sources of contamination remain unclear. The Environment Agency introduced a DNA tracing technique that helps us identify whether sources of faecal pollution are human or animal. In 2009, this method was used at Pevensey Bay, enabling us to target further investigations and identify appropriate courses of corrective action.
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Eastbourne sewage treatment works discharges via a long sea outfall, which was built at Langney Point in 1996. Pevensey flows were transferred to the long sea outfall prior to the 1996 bathing season. The sewage works was upgraded in 2003. Under the programme of works for Southern Water (from 2020 to 2022) investigations within the catchment were carried out. This will help to identify where bathing water improvements may be needed in the future.
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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 19% 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 (2020-2023) 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 3% 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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The Environment Agency makes a daily pollution risk forecast at this site based on the effects of rain, tide and seasonality on bathing water quality. These factors affect the levels of bacteria that get washed into the sea from livestock, sewage and urban drainage via rivers and streams and how they disperse. When these factors combine to cause a temporary reduction in water quality, we will issue a pollution risk warning on this website. Water quality will typically return to normal after a day or so, but it’s possible to have several warning days in a row. Details of the work to reduce the sources of bacteria at this bathing water are detailed in this profile. In 2023 2 pollution risk warnings were issued for this bathing water. All bathing waters have the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if this occurs a pollution risk warning will be issued with associated advice against bathing on this website.
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2024 Bathing Water Profile for Pevensey Bay
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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The river Salt Haven inputs into the sea through three outfall pipes just east of the bathing water. During and after periods of heavy rainfall, runoff from the extensive agricultural areas within the catchment will be greatly increased. There are four storm overflows in the river catchment, which discharge when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow.
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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 Pevensey Bay for the four year (2020-2023) 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 22% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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In 2005, Defra launched the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative in partnership with the Environment Agency and Natural England. The initiative aimed to reduce the negative effect of farming operations on the quality of surface and ground water by raising farmer awareness and promoting catchment sensitive farming. It put Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers into priority catchments and resourced them to help farmers improve farming practices and reduce water pollution from agriculture. Most of the catchment of the Pevensey Levels was included as a catchment under the Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative.
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SWS identified a defect in a private lateral sewer, which was repaired in 2001.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is approximately 7400 hectares. It comprises the Pevensey Levels, a wide agricultural plane with a complex network of streams and ditches. There are small forested areas and some villages within the catchment, and the urban areas of Pevensey, Hailsham and parts of Eastbourne. The main river is Pevensey Haven. After a series of confluences with Chilley Stream, Old Haven and the Langney Sewer, it changes into Salt Haven and drains into the sea through three outfalls to the east of Pevensey Bay.
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Pevensey Bay
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Pevensey Bay
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Sampling point at Pevensey Bay
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565687
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50.80997428191775
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0.350368683032284
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103791
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Sampling point at Pevensey Bay
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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 14400:1
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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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