2024 Bathing Water Profile for Bexhill
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Bexhill is a resort beach situated between Eastbourne and Hastings. The beach is predominantly shingle, with shallow sandflats exposed at low water. Above the beach there is a promenade, followed by the urban backdrop of the town of Bexhill. Egerton Park Stream and the overflow from Egerton Park Lake drain onto the beach through two outfall pipes in the west of the bathing water.
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Rother
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East Sussex
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The Environment Agency investigated the surface water and sewer system in Bexhill in the late 1990s. As a consequence, storm overflows across the catchment were upgraded. A wrongly connected waste water pipe entering Egerton Park stream in Wainwright Road was rectified prior to the 1999 bathing season. Joint surveys by Southern Water Services and the Environment Agency during 1999 demonstrated, however, that contamination persisted in the main culvert. Since then, investigations have focused on the catchment of Egerton Park Stream. The Environment Agency introduced a DNA tracing technique that helps us identify whether sources of faecal pollution are human or animal. Since 2009, this method has been used at sites across the catchment of Egerton Park Stream, enabling us to target further investigations and identify appropriate courses of corrective action.
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There are 15 storm overflows in the Bexhill area. Five storm overflows are within the immediate catchment of Egerton Park Stream, which drains onto the beach 140 metres west of the bathing water sampling point. Egerton Road storm overflow is the one closest to the beach. Polegrove and Richmond Road storm overflows discharge via the Egerton Park Lake outfall. Discharges into the river occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow. Southern Water carried out an investigation of the performance of their CSOs between 2005 and 2007. All CSOs met operational overflow requirements designed not to affect bathing water compliance. There are another two CSOs that discharge onto the beach 2 km either side of the bathing water. One is located off Hartfield Road in the west, the other one at the foot of Galley Hill to the East. Discharges occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system. This can result in a lower standard of water quality after rainfall.
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Fifteen storm overflows in the Bexhill catchment were upgraded between 1998 and 2000. Treatment was installed on the long sea outfalls at Combe Haven and Bulverhythe and at Hastings sewage treatment works prior to the 2003 bathing season. 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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In 2006, the Rother District Council requested the Environment Agency to move the bathing water sampling point. At the beginning of 2008 bathing water season, the sampling point was relocated 360 metres towards the east.
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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 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. Using the results from Southern Water’s sewer network investigations, the Environment Agency, Rother District Council and Southern Water have been identifying and rectifying misconnections within the Bexhill catchment. Further work is on-going, investigating pollution inputs into the lower parts of the catchment.
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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 5% 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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This bathing water is subject to short term pollution procedures. The Environment Agency makes a daily pollution risk forecast at this site based on the effects of rain, tide, wind 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 make short term pollution likely we issue a pollution risk warning on this website and the beach manager will display a sign advising against bathing at the bathing water. After a short term pollution event, levels of bacteria 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 24 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 Bexhill
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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Egerton Park Stream drains onto the beach 140 metres west of the bathing water sampling point. The stream runs through an urban catchment, which includes a number of storm overflows. inputs into the river occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system and causes diluted sewage to overflow.
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Bexhill and Hastings sewage treatment works at Galley Hill was upgraded to treatment in 2003. The sewage treatment works discharges through the twin long sea outfalls at Bulverhythe and Combe Haven.
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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 Bexhill 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 2% of visits, with 37% 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 comprises approximately 700 hectares of the urban area of Bexhill. The upper catchment slopes steeply. Egerton Park Stream originates in Glenleigh Park and runs through urban Bexhill mainly culverted. The river drains into the sea through an outfall 140 metres west of the bathing water sampling point.
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Bexhill
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Bexhill
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Sampling point at Bexhill
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574042
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50.83651861983744
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0.470373139504789
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107018
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Sampling point at Bexhill
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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 14200:1
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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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