Is it safe to swim in the lagoon at Charmouth?
We have stopped daily testing at the river mouth now that summer holidays are over.
Levels of E. coli have often been high over the summer and they tend to rise after rain.
This often makes it unsafe to enter the river. (Levels of pollution in the sea are almost invariably much lower.)
Please be very careful not to swallow water if you do bathe or play in the river.
We test the lagoon every day for E. coli bacteria -- high levels (RED LIGHT) mean it's not safe to go in the water.
Tests takes 24 hours, so the latest result is usually for yesterday.
How to read the results:
Red light = high risk to human health
Green light = low risk to human health
Look for the trend over the last few days - not just yesterday's result.
DO NOT swim, paddle or play in the water after one or more RED days.
Levels of E. coli rise after heavy rain and often get better or stay stable in dry weather.
So, after several 'Green' days it will probably stay green unless it's rained heavily.
Levels of E. coli have often been high over the summer and they tend to rise after rain.
This often makes it unsafe to enter the river. (Levels of pollution in the sea are almost invariably much lower.)
Please be very careful not to swallow water if you do bathe or play in the river.
We test the lagoon every day for E. coli bacteria -- high levels (RED LIGHT) mean it's not safe to go in the water.
Tests takes 24 hours, so the latest result is usually for yesterday.
How to read the results:
Red light = high risk to human health
Green light = low risk to human health
Look for the trend over the last few days - not just yesterday's result.
DO NOT swim, paddle or play in the water after one or more RED days.
Levels of E. coli rise after heavy rain and often get better or stay stable in dry weather.
So, after several 'Green' days it will probably stay green unless it's rained heavily.
You can see results for the whole bathing season here
Our daily monitoring is done by unpaid volunteers. Testing equipment is funded by donations and local organisations.
We are especially grateful to:
We are especially grateful to:
