Signage

The Problem

SAS is concerned by the lack of real time information currently available to beach, river or lake users about water quality and how it prevents us from making informed choices for ourselves when water quality is affected by sewage derived pollution.

Throughout our lives, we are bombarded with information aimed at making our lives safer, such as road signs warning of bends in the road ahead or the ingredients list on food packaging informing us of potential hazards.

On seeing such a warning, it is then up to each of us to make a decision as to whether to heed the warning or ignore it. It is easy to see that without such systems in place, we would live in a much more hazardous environment.

On your average trip to the beach, however, there is often very little information available to the public about water quality and the potential sources of sewage pollution. Unfortunately, the lack of information is not due to a lack of hazard.

Because of this, it is sometimes difficult to make an informed decision as to whether it is safe for you (or your children) to enter the water.

It is possible to use the MCS’s Good Beach Guide or the ‘What’s in Your Backyard’ section of the Environment Agency’s web site to see what the water quality was like last month or last year. While this information gives an indication of the average water quality in the past, is it safe to assume that water quality will be good today because it was good on twenty days (when the samples are taken) last summer? After all, water quality changes hour-to-hour, day-to-day.

It is generally accepted by local councils that water quality is likely to be significantly reduced for up to 48 hours after rainfall, yet there is often no attempt made to share this knowledge to the very people using the water.

Under rainy conditions, increased run-off from land or the discharge of raw sewage from Combined Sewage and Stormwater Overflows (CSOs) can make certain areas near streams or bathing waters more hazardous and more difficult in safeguarding the health of the general public. Currently very few people are informed of where these higher risk areas are or when they are likely to happen.

Streams crossing the beach are often perceived by parents as safe places to let their children play. After rainy weather, however, many streams become highly polluted with agricultural run-off or raw sewage. SAS were closely involved in a case that examined the death of a young girl in Devon in 1999 Heather Preen. She died from Ecoli 0157. Her death led to a Coroner’s inquest and whilst no source of pollution was identified as being responsible for her death, there were a number or recommendations made. One of these was to erect a permanent sign that warned of untreated sewage sometimes discharging from a stream running onto a popular beach. During a family visit to the beach shortly before her death Heather and her family had walked through a mixture of raw sewage and rainwater discharged into that stream by an unmarked Combined Sewer Overflow. Had the sign been there when the family visited then Heather’s mother said they would never have walked through it. SAS continue to investigate health incidents closely linked with pollution incidents.

In addition, if a bathing water sample taken from a beach fails EC mandatory standards, most councils will make no attempt to warn the public of the potential increase in health risk of entering the water. Their decision making process is however made that much more difficult buy a slow and laborious sampling procedure that can lead some councils have to wait up to 2 weeks to receive results! SAS research has recently highlighted this a widespread problem for local councils and demand major improvements in the relaying of such samples. A clear signage policy though would help offset some of these delays as the public are already more aware of when water quality will be poor.

The Solution

SAS has been calling for clear warning signs that should be put up in prominent places on the beach, river or lake giving the public the information with which to make an informed choice as to whether to enter the water or not.

Permanent signs should show where continuous and intermittent discharges are situated and their relative mixing zones in relation to recreational water use areas. The Environment Agency sampling location should also be shown.

Permanent signs should also be placed at all sewage discharge points accessible to the general public. Streams that receive polluted run-off or CSO discharges that routinely affect water quality at designated or well used bathing waters should be a signage priority.

If the water quality at a beach or bathing water is known to decrease after rainfall, permanent warning signs should inform the public of increased risks of entering the water after rain.

To compliment these permanent signs, temporary signs should be erected when bathing water samples show a reduction in water quality.

It takes 24-48 hours for the microbiological tests on bathing water samples to be completed. Once this is done, the results should be relayed to the local councils quickly to allow them to respond. After a failure, warning signs should remain in place until subsequent samples indicate that water quality has raised above the legal minimum. SAS do not think closing a beach during a pollution incident is the answer. Providing relevant information in the right format enables us, the public to make an informed choice about when, where and if to go in the water. It should be our decision to make.

Many countries such as Australia and the U.S.A. already have signage schemes similar to what SAS are proposing. Local councils in the U.K. (and Europe) need to take responsibility for their beaches and increase the information available to the general public to allow all of us to make an informed choice about entering the water. In terms of beach safety THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH INFORMATION…

Surfers Against Sewage are working closely with the Marine Conservation Society in providing a clear signage strategy that local authorities could use across the UK.

---