2024 Bathing Water Profile for East Looe
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East Looe is at the mouth of the Looe Estuary on the south coast of Cornwall. It is a sand and rock beach resort, approximately 280 metres wide, close to the town of Looe.
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Cornwall
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Cornwall
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Investigative monitoring has shown that the main sources of pollution impacting the bathing water are urban drainage and sewage from Liskeard and Looe, and agricultural run-off from the East Looe River catchment. This is known because the Environment Agency has carried out extensive monitoring upstream and downstream of potential source sites and used DNA tracing techniques to identify the relative contribution from agriculture and sewage.
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There are emergency and storm overflows that discharge into the estuary at Looe, and the river catchment upstream. The operation of the overflows can lead to a temporary drop in water quality in the Looe Estuary and at East Looe bathing water. This bathing water is included in the Surfers Against Sewage “Safer Seas Service”. This service can alert you to Combined Storm Sewer Overflow discharges via a phone App and in addition, it includes the Environment Agency Pollution Risk Forecast warnings where they are available. Further details of the service can be found at - http://www.sas.org.uk/safer-seas-service/
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The sewage treatment scheme for East Looe which provides secondary treatment and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, was completed by South West Water in late 1998. Extensive sewer rehabilitation works were also carried out at that time. Improvements to many combined sewer overflows (CSO) in East Looe were completed by the end of March 2000. By March 2006 improvements were completed to the continuous discharge and two intermittent discharges at the Liskeard (Lodge Hill) sewage treatment works (STW). Storm overflow event duration monitoring (EDM) was installed at four CSOs in East Looe by December 2011. In 2015, South West Water completed further improvements to urban drainage and sewage management in Liskeard and Looe. The improvements concentrated on reducing the frequency of storm discharges, and increasing sewage treatment capacity. The work also addressed misconnections and leaks through old sewers along with saline intrusion and sewer flooding on spring tides.
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The urban area of East Looe immediately behind the beach is served by a combined (surface and sewer) system. There are no outfalls from the system onto the beach. The Environment Agency have regularly inspected and sampled surface water outfalls.
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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 18% of visits, with 72% of visits noting the presence of seaweed (macroalgae). This bathing water can have moderate amounts of seaweed (macro algae) in the water column following storms. Seaweed washed up onto the beach is regularly moved to the back of the beach by the beach manager.
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Wrongly connected domestic waste water pipes can also affect the bathing water quality. We have checked the local sewerage system for misconnections. We are working with Cornwall County Council and South West Water to identify and rectify any problems when they arise. 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 noted at this site. Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) naturally increase in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as a phytoplankton bloom. This bathing water is occasionally impacted by phytoplankton blooms. 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 sunlight 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 22 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 East Looe
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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A step change improvement in water quality has been identified in 2015, from 30/04/2015, due to improvements made to Water plc assets. Any monitoring samples collected prior to this date shall not be used for classification.
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Streams and rivers are typically affected by human sewage, animal slurry and runoff from roads. East Looe beach is next to the mouth of the Looe Estuary which is formed where the East and West Looe rivers flow into the sea. The Environment Agency have monitored the East Looe River at the beach since 1987, and found that water quality in the estuary is temporarily worse during and after heavy rainfall.
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The outfall from the Liskeard STW discharges into the East Looe River 11km from the bathing water. The outfall from the Looe STW discharges into the East Looe River 2.3km from the bathing water. Both these discharges are Ultraviolet disinfected, and 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 East Looe 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 57% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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The catchment of the East Looe bathing water is largely agricultural with significant areas of land used for livestock. During and after periods of heavy rainfall, runoff to the Looe River from agricultural land is greatly increased, and the quality of the bathing water can be reduced. The Environment Agency are working with Natural England, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and farmers to encourage better farming practices and improve water quality in the surrounding areas. A programme of farm improvements have been undertaken throughout the catchment to help reduce the impact of farming on water quality at the bathing water.
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There is a fishing port at Looe, but this does not affect water quality at the bathing water.
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Local businesses have been visited and advised on ways to reduce the impact of their drainage on the environment.
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The catchment surrounding East Looe is approximately 10,700 hectares. The River Looe has two main branches, the East and the West Looe rivers, which drain from the southern slopes of Bodmin Moor to the coast. The eastern branch is approximately 16 kilometres (km) long. It starts near St Cleer and flows south, passing close to the western outskirts of Liskeard. The western branch is approximately 14km long and starts near Dobwalls. There are many tributaries which flow to meet these main branches which increases the length of stream in the catchment significantly. The lower reaches of the two rivers form the Looe Estuary and come together as they flow through the town. From the headwaters to the estuary, both rivers fall steeply and are subject to rapid changes in water levels after periods of rainfall. It is a rural area, ranging from open moorland to rolling hills with steep-sided river valleys running across them In the past there was extensive mining activity in the north of the catchment, which has left a legacy of abandoned mines and workings. There are mostly grassland fields in the upper reaches of the catchment giving way to more arable land in the south of the catchment. The steep river valleys are often heavily wooded. Urban areas include Liskeard, Dobwalls, Duloe and Looe. There are holiday parks and campsites in the catchment concentrated at the coast around Looe.
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East Looe
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East Looe
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Sampling point at East Looe
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225700
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50.35256267635997
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-4.451498081181772
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53170
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Sampling point at East Looe
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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 27000:1
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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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