2024 Bathing Water Profile for St Helens
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St Helens is a small bay situated on the east coast of the Isle of Wight at the mouth of Bembridge Harbour. Measuring less than 1km in length, the sandy beach slopes from the seawall into the harbour entrance channel. There is a café and beach huts on the promenade that stretches along the beach, with sand dunes at the rear.
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Isle of Wight
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Isle of Wight
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Investigations implicated the Duver outfall in failures prior to the 1996 bathing season.
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St Helens Duver storm overflow is at the north end of the beach and The Point Bembridge storm overflow is opposite the south end of the beach. These outfalls can discharge when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewerage system but are designed to ensure that bathing water compliance is not affected.
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Flows from the Bembridge sea outfall were diverted to Sandown sewage treatment works prior to the 2001 bathing season.
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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 88% 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 7% 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 Helens
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2024-09-30
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2024-05-01
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Within the Yar catchment there are numerous storm, emergency and surface water outfalls that discharge to the rivers and ditches. The Yar, which flows through Bembridge Harbour, affects the bathing water at low tide. Monitoring has shown that this is not a significant source of bathing water pollution.
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The Sandown sewage treatment works outfall is over 9km away and Budds Farm sewage treatment works is about 5km to the north east. There is a small sewage treatment works within the harbour. These outfalls are designed to ensure that 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 St Helens 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 2% of visits. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 2% of visits, with 81% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue was not noted at this site.
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There is gravel washing activity at The Point, Bembridge.
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The natural drainage (hydrological) catchment surrounding the bathing water is about 9300 hectares. About one quarter of the Isle of Wight drains through the Eastern Yar into Bembridge harbour. Much of the catchment is rural but also includes most of Shanklin and Sandown towns.
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St Helens
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St Helens
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Sampling point at St Helens
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463755
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50.69858655635361
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-1.098623643929827
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89160
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Sampling point at St Helens
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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 18100:1
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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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