If you were concerned by the automatically generated sewage spills data for Charmouth's Sewage Treatment Plant in June/July 2024, here are the actual figures. These record the time and duration of spills of untreated sewage into the sea, 1.2km offshore. The sewage has been passed through a 6mm screen and is heavily diluted but is otherwise untreated:
The Wessex Water system generated and displayed some incorrect discharge durations. Below are the real durations per day for the Charmouth Long Sea Outfall:
Day Durn hh:mm Day Durn hh:mm
01/05/2024 00:03 05/07/2024 00:09
02/05/2024 06:08 06/07/2024 00:01
13/05/2024 03:28 08/07/2024 02:32
14/05/2024 00:56 09/07/2024 15:26
18/05/2024 00:01 15/07/2024 13:41
22/05/2024 00:37 16/07/2024 05:44
25/05/2024 00:01 20/07/2024 02:21
26/05/2024 00:05
The problem was caused by the system creating duplicate records for discharge events, and then miscalculating the durations. The software has been corrected now.
The Wessex Water system generated and displayed some incorrect discharge durations. Below are the real durations per day for the Charmouth Long Sea Outfall:
Day Durn hh:mm Day Durn hh:mm
01/05/2024 00:03 05/07/2024 00:09
02/05/2024 06:08 06/07/2024 00:01
13/05/2024 03:28 08/07/2024 02:32
14/05/2024 00:56 09/07/2024 15:26
18/05/2024 00:01 15/07/2024 13:41
22/05/2024 00:37 16/07/2024 05:44
25/05/2024 00:01 20/07/2024 02:21
26/05/2024 00:05
The problem was caused by the system creating duplicate records for discharge events, and then miscalculating the durations. The software has been corrected now.
Below is a summary of sewage spills on the River Char in the last 4 years
See all sewage spills last year in your river/area in an online map.
Below is a summary of sewage spills in West Dorset in 2022 (prepared by Howard Atkinson)
[sites marked in yellow are those that Wessex Water has prioritised for improvement in its 2025-2030 plan]
Read the Surfers Against Sewage Water Quality Report 2022
Below is a summary of sewage spills in West Dorset in 2022 (prepared by Howard Atkinson)
[sites marked in yellow are those that Wessex Water has prioritised for improvement in its 2025-2030 plan]
Read the Surfers Against Sewage Water Quality Report 2022
Here's a video of the Green Party's Baroness Jenny Jones's visit to Lyme Regis to learn more about pollution in our rivers.
What to do if you see sewage in the river or in the sea at CHARMOUTH
1. Take photos and immediately call Wessex Water on 0345 600 4600. Give an exact location and description.
2. Follow up with an email to them at [email protected] (copied to [email protected])
If you spot sewage pollution in the River Lim or on the beaches at LYME REGIS
1. Take photos and immediately call South West Water on 0344 346 2020. Give an exact location and description.
2. Then follow up with an email to the River Lim Monitoring Group at [email protected])
Signs of sewage pollution include:
toilet paper, wipes, faeces, condoms, sanitary products in a river or in the sea, on a riverbank or the beach ~ a river appearing cloudy or milky ~ grey feathery ‘sewage fungus’ on the bed of a river ~ dead or gasping fish ~ a noticeable sewage smell
[There are many reasons why foam appears in rivers and near the seashore. Some of these are completely natural. Do not make an emergency call about foam unless you have other evidence to suggest that it is caused by sewage.]
1. Take photos and immediately call Wessex Water on 0345 600 4600. Give an exact location and description.
2. Follow up with an email to them at [email protected] (copied to [email protected])
If you spot sewage pollution in the River Lim or on the beaches at LYME REGIS
1. Take photos and immediately call South West Water on 0344 346 2020. Give an exact location and description.
2. Then follow up with an email to the River Lim Monitoring Group at [email protected])
Signs of sewage pollution include:
toilet paper, wipes, faeces, condoms, sanitary products in a river or in the sea, on a riverbank or the beach ~ a river appearing cloudy or milky ~ grey feathery ‘sewage fungus’ on the bed of a river ~ dead or gasping fish ~ a noticeable sewage smell
[There are many reasons why foam appears in rivers and near the seashore. Some of these are completely natural. Do not make an emergency call about foam unless you have other evidence to suggest that it is caused by sewage.]
sewage and other pollution in the river and on the beach
Image: Dana Assinder
How and why sewage gets into our river
Charmouth’s sewage system is a ‘combined system’ and carries both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. The Charmouth sewage system handles all the sewage and surface water from the village and nearby area covered by mains drainage.
Normally, sewage and surface water (together called wastewater) is treated at the Sewage Treatment Works on Catherston Lane, (north of the field used for the Charmouth Monday market). Once it’s been treated, it then flows 1.25km out to sea in a pipe (called a long sea outfall). Where the water is pumped out to sea, it gets so diluted that it’s deemed unlikely to cause any health or other problems. (That's DEFRA's view - but read this article by the Marine Conservation Society for an alternative view.)
What happens when there’s a storm?
Heavy rain falling on our roofs and driveways flows into the combined sewer and ends up at the Sewage Treatment Works. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system can be overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow prevents sewage from backing up into your house and flooding it.
There are three storm overflows in Charmouth: one at Newlands Bridge Pumping Station, one by Mill Bridge (a.k.a. Charmouth Bridge, the next river bridge, 200 yards west along The Street) and at the Sewage Treatment Works itself. At Newlands Bridge and at Mill Bridge, the overflow then discharges straight into the river. At the Works, the overflow is mixed with treated water and carried out to sea in the long sea outfall pipe.
These overflows happen in heavy rain on average about 15 times a year at Newlands Bridge and about 60 times a year from the Sewage Works. Clearly the overflows from Newlands Bridge are worse because the untreated sewage goes into the river, down to Charmouth pool and then across the beach, which is why it’s extremely unwise to swim or go in the river after heavy rain.
What can we do?
We can campaign for improved treatment facilities in Charmouth and we can work closely with Wessex Water to explore ways of encouraging homeowners to separate rainwater from foul water at source (for example through increased use of water butts and creating wet areas in their gardens, where possible.) This is a long-term process but, over time, can achieve cost-effective and sustainable improvements. We can also work with the company to create reedbeds and other ways of absorbing excess wastewater flow at times of heavy rainfall.
For anyone in Charmouth, our best hope lies in concerted, collaborative action. If you’re interested in river water quality, please join your local River Char Community Project (currently here for the Char Valley Parish Council project and here for the Lower Char project covering Charmouth. (We hope to amalgamate these soon.)
Together we can:
If you're a homeowner, find out how you can simply disconnect your downpipe and redirect the water safely into your garden, and then see how you can go further and create a rainwater garden.
Also read Julie Leah's handy guide to water management in your garden.
We hope to be telling Charmouth residents more about both ideas soon.
Charmouth’s sewage system is a ‘combined system’ and carries both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. The Charmouth sewage system handles all the sewage and surface water from the village and nearby area covered by mains drainage.
Normally, sewage and surface water (together called wastewater) is treated at the Sewage Treatment Works on Catherston Lane, (north of the field used for the Charmouth Monday market). Once it’s been treated, it then flows 1.25km out to sea in a pipe (called a long sea outfall). Where the water is pumped out to sea, it gets so diluted that it’s deemed unlikely to cause any health or other problems. (That's DEFRA's view - but read this article by the Marine Conservation Society for an alternative view.)
What happens when there’s a storm?
Heavy rain falling on our roofs and driveways flows into the combined sewer and ends up at the Sewage Treatment Works. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system can be overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow prevents sewage from backing up into your house and flooding it.
There are three storm overflows in Charmouth: one at Newlands Bridge Pumping Station, one by Mill Bridge (a.k.a. Charmouth Bridge, the next river bridge, 200 yards west along The Street) and at the Sewage Treatment Works itself. At Newlands Bridge and at Mill Bridge, the overflow then discharges straight into the river. At the Works, the overflow is mixed with treated water and carried out to sea in the long sea outfall pipe.
These overflows happen in heavy rain on average about 15 times a year at Newlands Bridge and about 60 times a year from the Sewage Works. Clearly the overflows from Newlands Bridge are worse because the untreated sewage goes into the river, down to Charmouth pool and then across the beach, which is why it’s extremely unwise to swim or go in the river after heavy rain.
What can we do?
We can campaign for improved treatment facilities in Charmouth and we can work closely with Wessex Water to explore ways of encouraging homeowners to separate rainwater from foul water at source (for example through increased use of water butts and creating wet areas in their gardens, where possible.) This is a long-term process but, over time, can achieve cost-effective and sustainable improvements. We can also work with the company to create reedbeds and other ways of absorbing excess wastewater flow at times of heavy rainfall.
For anyone in Charmouth, our best hope lies in concerted, collaborative action. If you’re interested in river water quality, please join your local River Char Community Project (currently here for the Char Valley Parish Council project and here for the Lower Char project covering Charmouth. (We hope to amalgamate these soon.)
Together we can:
- monitor Wessex Water’s spill alerts and historical spill data (its Coast and rivers watch service reports when storm overflows have been in use. This data feeds into the Surfers Against Sewage ‘Safer Seas’ app. Its online mapping system shows the location and historical frequency of operation of storm overflows.)
- undertake regular water quality tests via the West Country Rivers’ Trust CSI programme
- engage members of the community in rainwater separation schemes in their homes and gardens
- investigate innovative nature-based treatment solutions (like reedbeds) along the River Char.
If you're a homeowner, find out how you can simply disconnect your downpipe and redirect the water safely into your garden, and then see how you can go further and create a rainwater garden.
Also read Julie Leah's handy guide to water management in your garden.
We hope to be telling Charmouth residents more about both ideas soon.
Sources of pollution in the River Char
This is complicated! On the Government's environment-data website you can see the pollution levels in various categories (chemicals, metals, etc) over recent years for:
The Monkton Wyld Stream
The River Char
From there you can follow links to more details from different measurement sites.
You will see that both rivers are given "Moderate Ecological Status" and the Environment Agency (EA) regards any result less than "Good" as failing.
It's also clear from the figures that Phosphates are the biggest problem. (You may feel that you or your children getting ill from splashing/playing/swimming in the river is a bigger problem - but phosphate levels are the biggest year-round pollution problem in the eyes of the EA.)
Why are phosphate levels high in the river? There are two ways of looking at it:
You can see the full breakdown of these sources in the EA's 2021 Report: Phosphorus and freshwater eutrophication: challenges for the water environment. You can also see a summary extract, here.
HOWEVER, the Wessex Water Sewage Treatment Plant in Charmouth doesn't discharge into the river and there is no treatment plant upstream from Charmouth. The treated wastewater from Charmouth's Sewage Treatment Plant is piped out to sea. Therefore, the principal cause of excessive phosphorus levels is likely to be agriculture - but faulty or unemptied private septic tanks are also likely to be a cause and we are trying to establish their relative importance.
This is complicated! On the Government's environment-data website you can see the pollution levels in various categories (chemicals, metals, etc) over recent years for:
The Monkton Wyld Stream
The River Char
From there you can follow links to more details from different measurement sites.
You will see that both rivers are given "Moderate Ecological Status" and the Environment Agency (EA) regards any result less than "Good" as failing.
It's also clear from the figures that Phosphates are the biggest problem. (You may feel that you or your children getting ill from splashing/playing/swimming in the river is a bigger problem - but phosphate levels are the biggest year-round pollution problem in the eyes of the EA.)
Why are phosphate levels high in the river? There are two ways of looking at it:
- The regular output of treated sewage from Sewage Treatment Plants accounts for the majority of phosphates in UK rivers (60-80% according to the EA). That's not storm overflows but treated wastewater.
- Agriculture and land management practices account for the majority of occasions where phosphate pollution happens.
You can see the full breakdown of these sources in the EA's 2021 Report: Phosphorus and freshwater eutrophication: challenges for the water environment. You can also see a summary extract, here.
HOWEVER, the Wessex Water Sewage Treatment Plant in Charmouth doesn't discharge into the river and there is no treatment plant upstream from Charmouth. The treated wastewater from Charmouth's Sewage Treatment Plant is piped out to sea. Therefore, the principal cause of excessive phosphorus levels is likely to be agriculture - but faulty or unemptied private septic tanks are also likely to be a cause and we are trying to establish their relative importance.
further reading and viewing |
technical data |
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Environment Agency tests from the mouth of the River Char: 2000-2019
Environment Agency tests from Charmouth West Beach Wessex Water's Drainage and Wastewater Management Action Plan Wessex Water Storm Overflow Event Duration Monitoring and impact data It can be hard to tell sewage from marine algae. Here are two leaflets to help you: Surfers Against Sewage are calling for:
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