Words by Lydia Paleschi

We caught up with Alice Field, Project Officer from Surfers Against Sewage recently to learn all about the Safer Seas Service App. The Safer Seas Service offers real-time data on water quality in UK bathing waters, to keep us safe from pollution. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about sewage pollution, the app and to find answers to the questions you sent us last month.

What is the Safer Seas Service app?  

The Safer Seas Service is a mobile app set up by Surfers Against Sewage which provides real-time data on sewage discharges and pollution risk warnings at over 370 locations across the UK. The app is designed to keep us safe in the water, to prevent human health from being affected by sewage, agricultural, and urban pollution.

Here’s what Amy Slack, Surfers Against Sewage’s Head of Campaigns and Policy told us about the app:

“The Safer Seas Service is the UK’s only real-time water quality information service ensuring thousands of water users around the UK receive water quality information so they can make informed decisions about when, how and where to use the water. This vital public health information service also allows users to take direct action by emailing local MPs when there is a pollution alert at a bathing water in their constituency. It is shocking that the UK ranks only 25th out of 30 European countries for water quality and that we are still getting just as sick now from entering the water as we did in the 1990s. It’s time that Government and the water industry act to #EndSewagePollution and stop sewage discharges into rivers, lakes and waterways across the UK, for good.”

 What other features does the app have?

Surfers Against Sewage added two new features to the Safer Seas Service app last year.

1. The contact your MP feature allows users to quickly and easily contact their local MP, encouraging them to take action against sewage pollution and poor water quality. The more people that contact an MP, the more likely they are to take action against sewage pollution.

2. The ‘submit a health report’ feature enables users to report an incident if they have become sick as a result of being in the sea. Last year, one location had seven reported incidents which led to two people requiring antibiotics. This feature helps to identify health hot spots and to strengthen water quality campaigning.

What are the risks associated with poor water quality?

All wild swims come with an element of risk (find out more on our safety page). However, during periods of reduced water quality the risk of contracting bacterial, viral and other diseases associated with contact with faecal matter is increased. This includes gastroenteritis, ear, nose and throat infections, skin infections, and even hepatitis and e-coli. Last year a member of the public contracted giardiasis after swimming off the coast of Dorset because of sewage pollution. This is a disease usually found in developing countries and led to the man suffering from nausea, diarrhea and sickness, making him extremely unwell. Sewage pollution also has a negative effect on marine life and increases the likelihood of eutrophication, which leads to algal blooms and toxicity in the water. This disrupts our delicate ecosystems.

Sewage pollution is not always visible in the water. Therefore it is possible to be swimming in sewage without knowing.

What is water quality in the UK like?

Sewage pollution still plagues the UK rivers and ocean. In 2019 there were over 200,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers and almost 2,000 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters during the May to September bathing season alone.

The sheer volume of sewage and run-off entering the water means the UK is ranked just 25th out of 30 EU countries for coastal water quality and only 16% of waterways meet good ecological status. All rivers in the UK failed the recent EU chemical test as a result of sewage and other pollutants like chemicals and antibacterial products entering the water. Research has shown that water users in the UK remain just as likely to become ill from seawater as they were in the 1990s and that not all sewage spills are reported.

Which locations does the Safer Seas Service app report on?

The app reports on sewage pollution at over 370 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. The majority of these locations are designated bathing waters – bathing areas in the UK which have been designated by the Environment Agency (EA). This means there is a legal obligation for water quality standards to be reported on in that bathing water. The Safer Seas Service focuses primarily on officially designated bathing waters in the app, so that they can share real-time water quality information. Some additional spots which aren’t designated bathing waters have been included, because the associated water company has recognised that there is a high amount of activity in that bathing water e.g. for swimming, sailing or surfing. Where sewage spill information is available, the app reports on it, even if it isn’t a designated bathing area. If water companies don’t provide the data, it cannot be reported through the app. This means not all locations have both pollution risk forecasts and sewage spill alerts. For example, Scottish Water doesn’t report on sewage spills, therefore only pollution risk forecasts are available for locations in Scotland. If water companies don’t provide sewage spill information and the EA doesn’t provide pollution risk forecasting, then the location will not be included in the app.

What are water quality standards?

UK water quality is classified by the EA and includes: poor, sufficient, good and excellent. Water quality at bathing waters is assessed on an annual basis and must reach at least a ‘satisfactory’ standard for bathing to be advised. If bathing waters are rated ‘poor’ for more than four consecutive years, they are declassified.  

Where does the data come from?

The Safer Seas Service app receives data from two separate places:

1. The Environment Agency sends pollution risk forecasting information. This is based on information such as weather, tide and swell forecasts for designated bathing areas. For example, if there’s predicted heavy rainfall and there are steep slopes near a bathing spot a risk alert will be published because of the increased likelihood of agricultural runoff.

2. Water companies send sewage spill information. This real-time data is provided when there are sewage spills in waters which are affected by combined sewage overflows (CSOs). CSOs are part of the sewage network infrastructure and are designed to be used during heavy rainfall events. For example, when there is heavy rainfall, an overflow of sewage is released into rivers and oceans.

In a nutshell, the EA predicts when there is a likely risk of poor water quality based on forecasting. Water companies report on sewage discharge events which have occurred in all bathing waters which are affected by CSOs and receive telemetry information.

Does the app work for all months of the year?

The Safer Seas Service app shares the available data all year round. However, the EA only provides forecasting info within the bathing season which runs from 15 May to 30 September. In Scotland, the bathing season is shorter, running from 15th July to 15th September. Out of the eight water companies which operate within England and Wales five of them report sewage spills throughout the whole year. South West Water, Southern Water and Anglian Water do not yet provide details on sewage discharges outside of the bathing season. Scotland has a nationalised system which is managed by Scottish Water. Scottish Water doesn’t provide sewage spill information.

What are the shortfalls of relying on this data?

Sewage spill information is only included at locations where water companies have telemetry technology which can report on overflow events. Sewage discharges are not reported for areas where this technology isn’t available, even if they are a designated bathing area.

Recent information shows that CSOs are being used outside of heavy rainfall events, because infrastructure is inadequate. However, they are not always being reported on, because of technical issues and a lack of legislative obligation. Last year Southern Water had technical issues with their sewage discharge reporting system which meant multiple sewage spills were not reported on.  

How are Surfers Against Sewage tackling this issue?

Water companies have shown a lack of willingness to invest the necessary amount of funds into improving infrastructure, with rivers and oceans suffering as a result. Therefore, Surfers Against Sewage are calling for tougher legislation surrounding sewage discharges, including greater transparency and more detailed information. Thanks to the new features added to the Safer Seas Service in 2020, over 3,000 emails were sent to just under 100 MP’s by users alerting them to sewage discharges and pollution warning issued at locations in their constituency. This has had a huge impact on driving the issue up the political agenda.

In 2020, SAS launched the #EndSewagePollution campaign. This saw over 44,600 people sign the #EndSewagePollution petition which was handed in directly to George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The #EndSewagePollution Coalition was also formed and has worked closely with the Senior Conservative MP and Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Philip Dunne, to draft The Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill. It aims to stop water companies from discharging so frequently into rivers. Because UK water systems are interconnected, this sewage ends up in the ocean. The Bill calls for legislation which will require water companies to report on spillages all year around, and to provide greater transparency – this would include accurate information on where spillages are occurring, how much sewage is being discharged and when the spillage has occurred. It is their aim that passing this piece of legislation will be a big step towards achieving a complete end to sewage pollution by 2030.

In the meantime, Surfers Against Sewage hope that the Safer Seas Service app allows water users to make more informed decisions about when and where they are getting in the sea.

The Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill is a rare opportunity to improve legislation surrounding sewage spills and will be voted on in Parliament 22 January 2021. You can show your support for the Bill by using this email template to contact your MP. The more people that contact their MP, the more likely the Bill is to pass.

How can we help Surfers Against Sewage to achieve this?

Contacting your MP through the app and submitting health reports play a huge part in encouraging the UK Parliament to take a stand against sewage pollution.

You can also use this pre-made email template to show your support for the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill and put an end to sewage pollution in the UK.

What can I do to protect water quality at my local beach?

The things we flush down our loos impact the functionality of the sewage system. If you’re flushing anything other than poo, pee or paper this increases the likelihood of sewage overflows. Picking up dog poo and plastic which may be carrying bacteria and pathogens also helps to prevent pollution from entering the sea.

How can I learn more?

You can learn more about the Safer Seas Service app via the apps FAQ section or visiting SAS’s website.

For more information on the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill and to access the ‘email your MP’ template to show your support for the Bill, click here. This is debated on 22 January 2021, so if you’d like to support it, get your email in before then.

Surfers Against Sewage also publishes an annual Water Quality Report which provides easy to consume information on water quality in the UK.

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