Coverack water quality

RED

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Coverack is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated RED for swimming — Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore. Its latest Environment Agency classification is excellent (2025), and 54 storm-overflow spills were recorded nearby in 2025. Below: live risk, recent spills, official samples, rainfall, tides and nearby reports.

Safe to swim right now?
Avoid — pollution risk
Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.
South West Water status: Amber · since 2026-10-24 11:11
Do not rely solely on this website for health decisions. Check official alerts and use your own judgement. Seek medical advice if you are unwell.

Current status

Risk: RED Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.

  • Active overflows nearby: 1
  • Recent overflows (48h): 5
  • Rainfall (48h): 35.9 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-09-15 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

35.9 mm
Rainfall 48h
71.0 mm
Rainfall 7d
4
Outfalls within 5 km
54
Spills (2025, official)
25
Spills 2026 so far (live)
10
Spills last 30d
high 1.75m
Tide now

Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)

In the news nearby

No recent local news matched.

Storm-overflow spills near here, by year (EDM)

Recent spills near here (precise, SWW)

Full spill history near Coverack

Download CSV

Every storm-overflow discharge Glanmor has recorded within 5 km of Coverack, newest first.

25 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-10-24 14:24ongoingCOVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-10-24 12:092026-10-24 12:16(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-24 11:062026-10-24 13:30COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-10-23 04:152026-10-23 05:15(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-23 03:562026-10-23 05:00(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-10-22 15:292026-10-22 15:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-10-22 14:232026-10-22 14:54PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-10-22 11:35ongoingPORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-10-22 10:162026-10-22 10:31PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-10-22 09:462026-10-22 10:01PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-08-30 13:292026-08-30 13:31COVERACK COVE (C)~0.3 km
2026-08-30 13:152026-08-30 13:45(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-08-30 12:582026-08-30 13:32(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-08-30 12:452026-08-30 14:30COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-08-30 12:242026-08-30 12:27COVERACK COVE (C)~0.3 km
2026-08-30 12:222026-08-30 14:15COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-08-29 04:452026-08-29 05:30COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-08-29 04:452026-08-29 05:30(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-08-29 04:292026-08-29 05:02COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-08-29 04:212026-08-29 04:38(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-07-30 09:292026-07-30 09:50COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-06-10 14:412026-06-10 14:50(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~3.1 km
2026-05-02 13:562026-05-02 14:53COVERACK COVE(C)~0.0 km
2026-02-03 16:152026-02-03 16:16COVERACK COVE (C)~0.3 km
2026-01-29 16:312026-01-30 04:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~5.0 km
31 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-10-24 14:24spill, 5 min~0.0 km
2026-10-24 13:54spill, 2 min~0.0 km
2026-10-24 13:19spill, 2 min~0.0 km
2026-10-24 12:09spill, 7 min~3.1 km
2026-10-24 11:33spill, 13 min~3.1 km
2026-10-24 11:06spill, 114 min~0.0 km
2026-10-23 03:56spill, 12 min~3.1 km
2026-10-22 15:29spill, 6 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 15:17spill, 6 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 14:23spill, 31 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 13:31spill, 32 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 13:02spill, 0 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 12:11spill, 33 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 11:35spill, 26 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 09:55spill, 63 min~5.0 km
2026-10-22 09:10spill, 19 min~5.0 km
2026-08-30 13:29spill, 3 min~0.3 km
2026-08-30 12:58spill, 34 min~3.1 km
2026-08-30 12:24spill, 3 min~0.3 km
2026-08-30 12:22spill, 104 min~0.0 km
2026-08-29 04:29spill, 33 min~0.0 km
2026-08-29 04:21spill, 17 min~3.1 km
2026-07-30 09:29spill, 21 min~0.0 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~3.1 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~3.1 km
2026-05-02 13:56spill, 57 min~0.0 km
2026-05-02 13:56spill, 57 min~0.0 km
2026-02-03 16:15spill, 1 min~0.3 km
2026-02-03 16:15spill, 1 min~0.3 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~5.0 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~5.0 km
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Water quality — 7-year trend

Water quality improved in 2026: average E. coli was 32% lower than 2025.

YearEA classificationSamplesE. coli (geo-mean)Enterococci (geo-mean)High readings
2019—1215 cfu/100ml14 cfu/100ml1 of 12
2020—348 cfu/100ml31 cfu/100ml1 of 3
2021—2015 cfu/100ml15 cfu/100ml0
2022—2010 cfu/100ml12 cfu/100ml0
2023—2111 cfu/100ml12 cfu/100ml0
2024—1612 cfu/100ml13 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent1021 cfu/100ml16 cfu/100ml1 of 10
2026—1014 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0

Geometric mean of Environment Agency samples per calendar year (the standard bathing-water statistic). "High readings" are samples at or above 500 E. coli or 200 enterococci cfu/100ml.

Coverack — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Coverack today?

Coverack is currently rated RED: Storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore. This is guidance only — also check official alerts and use your judgement.

Has there been a sewage spill near Coverack?

54 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Coverack in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 25 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Coverack's bathing water classification?

Coverack is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
7 min ago (2026-10-24 15:00 UTC)
Sources
Environment Agency (samples & classification), South West Water (overflows), EA EDM (annual spills), Open-Meteo (rainfall & tide). Full list on about.
Confidence
High — official classification, 4 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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