Title: East Looe EC bathing water directive failures (1990 to 1997)
Author: Rob Hocking
Document Type: Monograph
Annotation: EA additional title info: Environment Protection Department Cornwall area November 1998
Abstract:
The EC designated bathing water at East Looe, South East Cornwall is sampled in accordance with the EC Directive on Bathing Water Quality. The East Looe beach has exceeded the EC Bathing Water Mandatory Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) ten times since 1990. The EC Bathing Water Directive (EC/76/100) dictates that faecal and total coliform concentrations must not exceed 2,000/ 100 millilitres (ml) and 10,000/ 100ml respectively. Should two or more samples exceed the mandatory coliform EQS, the beach fails overall for that year. Since 1990 this has happened on three occasions, 1993, 96 and 97. The directive also gives guideline concentrations for faecal and total coliforms of 100 and 500/ 100 ml respectively. From the 160 samples collected since 1990, 74 have passed the guideline standard, 76 have passed die mandatory standard and 10 have exceeded the mandatory standard. From the 10 EQS exceedances, 8 were sampled 2 hours either side of low water. The highest concentrations of faecal and total coliforms were found on 3rd August 1997. Faecal coliform concentrations were found to be 24 times higher than the mandatory standard of 2,000/ 100ml and total coliform concentrations were found to be over 5 times the mandatory standard of 10,000/ 100ml. Earlier investigations have confirmed that bacterial water quality on the East Looe beach is influenced, especially around times of low water by the Looe estuary. The objective of this document is to identify causes of EC Bathing Water Directive non compliance at East Looe Beach, specifically concentrating on the Looe Estuary.
Publisher: Environment Agency
Publication Date: 1998
Publication Place: [Exeter]
Subject Keywords: Bathing water; Bathing Water Directive; Beaches; Bacteria; Sewerage; Water quality
Geographic Keywords: Looe; Looe (river, Cornwall)
Extent: 8; + figures, tables, appendices
Permalink: http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:678
Total file downloads: 341
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