2024 Bathing Water Profile for Camber
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Camber Sands is situated at the mouth of the river Rother in Rye Bay, East Sussex. The bathing water is a wide expanse of fine sand with a shallow profile and a long tidal range. It is part of a large embayment and is truncated to the west by the training wall of the River Rother. The bathing water is backed by sand dunes and a golf course to the west and a large caravan park to the east. The area close to the mouth of the Rother has strong currents.
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Rother District
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East Sussex
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The Environment Agency carried out a number of investigations in 1999 and 2000. The surveys were aimed at quantifying the relative contributions of potential sources of contamination to the bathing water. No obvious single source has been identified. Surveys have shown that water from the Rother Estuary can contain faecal contamination. Rye sewage treatment works discharges into the Rother. Effluent from Camber sewage treatment works has occasionally shown higher numbers of bacteria than expected under the UV disinfection treatment in place.
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Within the catchment of Camber Sands bathing water, there are numerous storm, emergency and surface water outfalls. Discharges into the river Rother occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow. As such, the bathing water can be subject to reduced water quality after periods of heavy rainfall.
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Camber Sewage Treatment Works discharges via an outfall pipe across the beach at the eastern extent of the beach. The sewage treatment works was upgraded to further treatment and UV disinfection was installed in 1996. This discharge is designed to protect bathing water compliance. In late 1999, a rising main sewer going through Camber village to the sewage treatment works was relined, which has contributed to improved bathing water quality. 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 54% of visits. The shore 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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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton (microscopic algae) was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 2% of visits, with 10% of visits noting the presence of phytoplankton (microscopic algae). 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 Camber
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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The largely agricultural catchment of the Rivers Rother and Brede have significant areas of pasture land with livestock. Within the catchments of Rother and Brede there are also numerous private inputs and inputs from sewage treatment works. The Rother has numerous highway drains entering the river. During and after periods of heavy rainfall the risk of contamination from diffuse urban and agricultural pollution is increased.
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Camber sewage treatment works discharges into a small basin which then discharges via an outfall pipe across the beach at the eastern extent of the bathing water. This discharge is designed to protect bathing water compliance. Rye sewage treatment works discharges into the river Rother a few kilometres upstream of the river mouth. This discharge is treated and is 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 Camber for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not noted at this site. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 5% of visits, with 87% of visits noting the presence of litter. 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 Rother was included as a catchment under the Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is extensive due to its proximity to the mouth of the River Rother. The Rother has a catchment of approximately 75500 hectares and drains from the High Weald. It is formed of low-lying, largely reclaimed land characterised by a network of drainage ditches. The steeply sloping upper areas cause water to run off the land into rivers and therefore to the beach very quickly. This catchment includes the river Brede that enters the Rother Estuary downstream of Rye. The catchment is rural with a number of villages and small towns set among arable and pastureland. The Rother Estuary close to the beach is artificially retained and drains almost completely at low tide.
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Camber
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Camber
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Sampling point at Camber
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596586
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50.933200586076914
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0.796375555008748
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118585
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Sampling point at Camber
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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 13900:1
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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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