The bathing water is close to the Blue Bridge over the river Clwyd, which links Rhyl to the Kinmel Bay area. The bathing water is within Marine Lake, which is bordered by Wellington Road to the north, the river Clwyd to the west and the North Coast Railway Line to the south. Marine Lake is just over 1 km away from Rhyl Town Centre and Rhyl EC Bathing Beach. The bathing water is not directly linked to the sea, but can be topped up during high tide. The water quality sample point lies to the east of the lake.
There is an intermittent discharge into the Clwyd estuary, and advice has been given to Denbighshire County Council regarding the prevention of abstraction of water at times when this overflow is discharging.
Natural Resources Wales and Denbighshire County Council have been working together to monitor and maintain the bathing water quality at Rhyl for a number of years.
Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) naturally increase in number at certain times of the year. This process is known as phytoplankton bloom.
Algal Blooms can occur at any beach during the bathing season and are usually noticeable by a surface scum. This beach has no history of such blooms.
There are no streams or rivers which drain into Marine Lake.
As there are no streams or rivers which feed in to Marine Lake, no investigations have been carried out. Advice has been given to Denbighshire County Council regarding procedures for topping up the lake during times of known pollution within the Clwyd estuary.
The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is from rainfall falling directly onto the lake and onto nearby pavements and car park.
Marine Lake is topped up occasionally at high tide via a sluice located within the Clwyd estuary. The lake also has an overflow back in to the Clwyd estuary.
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.
The majority of sewers in England and Wales 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.
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.
It is the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales role to drive improvement of water quality at bathing waters that are at risk of failing European 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.