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We have BIG news, John!
Our campaigning has paid off.
As of today, 27 Designated Bathing Water applications have been approved in England, 13 of those supported directly by SAS' Protecting Wild Waters campaign.
This even includes 12 rivers! The ocean and our rivers are all connected and good water quality needs to be considered along the whole stretches of our waterways. By getting Bathing Water Designation we will now have the Environment Agency committed to a testing regime, ensuring the waterways are monitored and protected.
Bathing Water Designation shines a light on water quality issues with so many waterways currently unmonitored. Whilst it's not an overnight solution, it shows us where we need to push for change, with the evidence we need to campaign for improved water quality. It's the start of a big journey. And we're stoked.
So, what exactly is a Designated Bathing Water?
We talk about them a lot in our campaigning work, but it's not that clear what the term actually means. In the run up to the start of Bathing Water season, it's definitely something we want you to know.
You would think all of our waterways and beaches were protected, but they're not. Officially designated Bathing Waters are the only blue spaces in the UK where water quality is regularly monitored for its effect on human health, and legal obligations are put on polluting industries to clean up their act.
How does a Bathing Water improve water quality?
If it's not a bathing water, it's not regularly tested by the Environment Agency for its impact on human health. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, a similar process takes place with testing from National Resources Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. They test for bacteria E. coli and intestinal enterococci (the ones that water-users commonly get sick from) and are usually caused by sewage or agricultural run-off.
Once we have the water quality data and know just how bad it is, we can use it to campaign for change.
The UK's bathing water season starts in the middle of May (Scotland and NI is 1 June to 15 September) and finishes at the end of September, and there are over 600 designated bathing sites across the UK.
Whilst we're all for designation, we know the regulations aren't quite up to scratch. People who use the water, to swim, to paddle, to kayak, to surf, and all other water-based activities, often do so throughout the year, not just in the summer. And we're really not happy that the health of so many waterways go unaccounted for outside of the bathing season. That's why we're campaigning for improved regulations too with Protecting Wild Waters.
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What is Protecting Wild Waters?
We are working tirelessly on our Protecting Wild Waters campaign to get as many of our precious waterways both inland and at the coast protected with designated bathing water status. We work with communities across the UK to support them with their application, and it's not an easy feat. But we are making progress, and we're so happy to see our communities now get the designation they have worked so hard for.
For an example of one of our wonderful communities, watch our video below to find out about more applying for Bathing Water status on the River Teme in Ludlow.
For the ocean,
🌊Kirsty, Community Water Quality Manager
