Manningtree beach, formed artificially from imported sand, is located on the River
Stour Estuary, Essex. The beach is close to Manningtree town and is a popular spot
with swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers and other recreational users.
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.
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.
Manningtree (Lawford) sewage treatment works outfall is less than 1km upstream of
the bathing water. There are a number of other sewage treatment works in the upstream
catchment.
Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every
visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar.
Friars Meadow in within a Catchment Sensitive Farming area. This is a project run
by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency and The Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It raises awareness of diffuse water pollution
from agriculture (DWPA) by giving free training and advice to farmers in selected
areas in England. The selected areas are called priority catchments. The aim of the
advice is to improve the environmental performance of farms.
The Stour is a large catchment, approximately 1080 square kilometres. The river rises
in Cambridgeshire and, for the most part, forms the county boundary between Suffolk
and Essex. It is a largely agricultural catchment, but the river flows through towns
such as Sudbury and Hadleigh. The river Stour becomes tidal at Cattawade, just upstream
of Manningtree.
The Stour Estuary is a designated Ramsar site and the area has a large population
of birds. It is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special
Protection Area.
Mistley, a nearby village, is well known for its swan population.
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 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 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.
