2024 Bathing Water Profile for Bembridge
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Bembridge Beach is situated on the east tip of the Isle of Wight beside the Lifeboat Pier. The sandy beach faces east towards Selsey Bill and slopes gently onto rocky platforms with rockpool areas. The rocky platforms drop away nearer low water. At high water there can be little beach left. A café, car park, public toilets and RNLI shop are all nearby.
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Isle of Wight
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Isle of Wight
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Historically, the Environment Agency has taken a number of investigative water quality samples and reviewed compliance with consented discharges from private and water company sewerage discharges in the area around Bembridge beach. This was to investigate the sources that may contribute to the occasional high results of faecal contamination observed in routine samples. In 2013, a partnership group was created with Isle of Wight Council, Bembridge Parish Council and Southern Water Services to investigate and improve the bathing water quality. Since the formation of this group there has been an improvement in bathing water quality at Bembridge. As a result, the decision was taken to disband the partnership group at the end of 2015. Should bathing water quality deteriorate significantly at Bembridge in the future, we will seek to re-convene this partnership group.
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The Lane End storm overflow outfall, near the end of the Lifeboat Pier, can discharge when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system but is designed to ensure that bathing water compliance is not affected.
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Flows from Bembridge sea outfall were diverted to Sandown sewage treatment works prior to the 2001 bathing season. Southern Water upgraded Sandown sewage treatment works to protect bathing water quality in 2002. The Budds Farm sewage treatment works long sea outfall is over 5km away. Both sewage treatment works are designed to ensure that bathing water quality is protected. 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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The partnership group between the Environment Agency, Isle of Wight Council, Bembridge Parish Council and Southern Water has been disbanded following improvements in bathing water quality. This group has been superceded by an Isle of Wight Bathing Water Steering Group with a broader focus. The new group includes representation from Environment Agency, Isle of Wight Council and Southern Water.
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For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, seaweed (macroalgae) was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 8% of visits, with 82% of visits noting the presence of seaweed (macroalgae). Environment Agency research suggests this bathing water has a history of large amounts of seaweed (macro algae). 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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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. 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, 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 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 6 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 Bembridge
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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The Budds Farm sewage treatment works long sea outfall is over 5km away and the Sandown sewage treatment works long sea outfall is over 6km away. Both are designed to ensure that the bathing water is protected.
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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 Bembridge for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage debris was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 3% of visits. Litter was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 57% of visits. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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The natural drainage catchment surrounding the bathing water is about 150 hectares. Much of the area is urban with some managed grassland in the catchment.
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Bembridge
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Bembridge
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Sampling point at Bembridge
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465817
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50.68620066346025
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-1.069670328823699
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87808
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Sampling point at Bembridge
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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 18200:1
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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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