2024 Bathing Water Profile for St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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St. Mary's Bay is a resort beach situated along a 20 kilometre (km) stretch of beach in Hythe Bay, Kent. Hythe Bay stretches from Folkestone down to the headland of Dungeness. The beach is predominantly shingle with wide shallow sand flats exposed at low water. Fine sediments suspended in the water column leave the water cloudy at times. There is a slipway just south of the bathing water sampling point.
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Folkestone and Hythe District
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Kent
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Environment Agency investigations have identified the “New Sewer” water course as potential source of pollution to the bathing water. This river takes the drainage from the surrounding marshland, which includes agricultural runoff and private sewage effluents.
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There are no permitted storm overflows which could affect bathing water quality at St Marys Bay.
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UV disinfection was installed at Dymchurch sewage treatment works in 1992 and upgraded prior to the 1999 bathing season. Better treatment at the nearby Hythe sewage treatment works was installed in 2001, which discharges via a long sea outfall into the north of Hythe Bay. This improved quality within Hythe Bay, which stretches from Folkestone down to the headland of Dungeness. 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 58% 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 not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed as being present on 4% 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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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 St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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The New Sewer drains into the sea 350 metres south of the bathing water sampling point. It inputs marsh river drainage from a large catchment, which includes diffuse agricultural run off and private sewage effluents. During periods of heavy rainfall, the risk of contamination from this stream is increased.
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St. Mary's Bay is served by Dymchurch sewage treatment works. The outfall is located approximately 4 km north of the bathing water, which is designed to protect bathing water quality.
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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 St Mary's Bay (Kent) 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 60% 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 Romney area was included as a catchment under the Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative.
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The drainage catchment surrounding the bathing water is approximately 3600 hectares. It encompasses parts of the New Romney Marshes inland of the Royal Military Canal, including the seaside town St. Mary's Bay and a number of small villages. Due to a complex network of marsh drains, the borders of the catchment towards the neighbouring Dymchurch and Littlestone are mostly undefined. The “New Sewer” watercourse, which receives the drainage from a large network of smaller ditches in the marsh, drains into the sea through an outfall in the south of the bathing water.
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St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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Sampling point at St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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609300
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51.01058771257017
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0.982304921293757
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127700
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Sampling point at St Mary's Bay (Kent)
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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 13700:1
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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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