Dear fellow swimmers
Earlier this week, I had a meeting with representatives of some of the groups that had successfully applied for bathing water status for their local swimming spots.
A
common theme emerged: there is a widespread belief that achieving bathing water status means the location is clean and safe for swimming.
This is explicitly not the case. Bathing water status introduces a monitoring regime, followed by an improvement plan if water quality falls below standards. It may also prompt local authorities to put in place measures to boost
safety, such as improvements to entry and exit points and the installation of throw lines. We hope our local council will make our site – and entry to the water – more accessible for people with disabilities.
This alone makes securing bathing water status worthwhile – but we, as a community, need to keep reinforcing the message that bathing water status is just
another lever to help us clean up our waterways, not the end goal.
The real meaning of bathing water status
To illustrate this, I want to share the first set of results from the monitoring in the Thames at Ham and Kingston (my local
spot).
- 20 May, EC = 150, IE = 27
- 27 May, EC = 82, IE = 36
- 2 June, EC = 5500, IE = 2400
- 11 June, EC = 410, IE = 110
EC (E. coli) and IE (intestinal enterococci) are two faecal indicator bacteria. The overall bathing water status of a location is calculated using a statistical analysis of samples collected throughout the bathing season. The numbers are colony forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water.
Inland waters achieve 'Excellent' status if almost all
samples fall below the thresholds of 500 for e.coli and 200 for intestinal enterococci.
The results from 2 of June, which were taken after several days of heavy rain, could result in the site being graded 'Poor' at the end of the season, even though the results from dry periods are comfortably within the 'Excellent' range.
We can see this at Wolvercote Mill Stream, an inland spot near Oxford that achieved designated status a few years ago. It has been repeatedly graded as 'Poor', and swimming is not advised. Yet many of the readings through last year fell into the 'Excellent' or 'Good' ranges.
Obviously, we would prefer our rivers to be clean all of the time. We’d rather untreated sewage wasn’t discharged after heavy rain. But at least we are building a clearer picture of what is happening in our rivers. We also know that if we are selective about when we swim, the risks are low.
If you’re interested in applying for bathing water status where
you swim, contact the Bathing Waters Team at Surfers Against Sewage. Their support and expertise made our application possible.
Elsewhere this week…
We’re delighted to see that Sea Lanes in Brighton is hosting Gateway to the Sea next weekend. This is an event to improve access to the sea and open water swimming for people with sight loss. Melanie Barratt, the first blind woman to swim the English Channel, is attending the event as a speaker.
Also read on for a review of Conquering the Straits, a book from Anna-Carin Nordin, the first woman to complete
the Oceans Seven.
