Downderry water quality
AMBERdesignated bathing water · · South West Water
Downderry is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated AMBER for swimming — 17 mm rain in 48h (this beach's threshold is 12 mm) — runoff and overflows more likely. Its latest Environment Agency classification is excellent (2025), and 224 storm-overflow spills were recorded nearby in 2025. Below: live risk, recent spills, official samples, rainfall, tides and nearby reports.
Current status
Risk: AMBER 17 mm rain in 48h (this beach's threshold is 12 mm) — runoff and overflows more likely.
- Active overflows nearby: 0
- Recent overflows (48h): 0
- Rainfall (48h): 17.0 mm
Official EA classification
excellent (2025)
Latest official sample
2026-08-05 — E.coli 18, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml
Latest independent sample
None published
Pollution & environment data
Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)
No spills recorded within 5 km in the last 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)
- spill, 58 min2026-07-24 · ~0.6 km
- spill, 2 min2026-07-15 · ~4.5 km
- spill, 6 min2026-06-25 · ~4.5 km
- spill, 6 min2026-06-25 · ~4.5 km
- spill, 27 min, ~1 m³2026-06-25 · ~5.0 km
- spill, 27 min, ~1 m³2026-06-25 · ~5.0 km
- spill, 2 min2026-05-28 · ~4.5 km
- spill, 2 min2026-05-28 · ~4.5 km
Full spill history near Downderry
Download CSVEvery storm-overflow discharge Glanmor has recorded within 5 km of Downderry, newest first.
9 discharge events
| Start | End | Outfall | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 10:45 | 2026-07-24 12:15 | ENGLISH CHANNEL | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-07-24 10:34 | 2026-07-24 12:00 | ENGLISH CHANNEL | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-07-15 18:05 | 2026-07-15 18:06 | POLBATHIC STREAM(S) | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:21 | 2026-06-25 19:26 | TRIBUTARY OF RIVER SEATON | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:16 | 2026-06-25 19:43 | LOOE BAY (C) | ~5.0 km |
| 2026-05-28 21:15 | 2026-05-28 21:16 | POLBATHIC STREAM(S) | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-04-21 09:59 | 2026-04-21 10:03 | ENGLISH CHANNEL | ~1.3 km |
| 2026-04-14 11:23 | 2026-04-14 11:36 | ENGLISH CHANNEL | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-02-18 15:54 | 2026-02-18 16:59 | WHITSAND BAY (C) | ~4.7 km |
14 precise spill records (duration & volume)
| When | Detail | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 10:34 | spill, 58 min | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-07-15 18:05 | spill, 2 min | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:21 | spill, 6 min | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:21 | spill, 6 min | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:16 | spill, 27 min, ~1 m³ | ~5.0 km |
| 2026-06-25 19:16 | spill, 27 min, ~1 m³ | ~5.0 km |
| 2026-05-28 21:15 | spill, 2 min | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-05-28 21:15 | spill, 2 min | ~4.5 km |
| 2026-04-21 09:59 | spill, 3 min | ~1.3 km |
| 2026-04-21 09:59 | spill, 3 min | ~1.3 km |
| 2026-04-14 11:23 | spill, 13 min | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-04-14 11:23 | spill, 13 min | ~0.6 km |
| 2026-02-18 15:54 | spill, 65 min | ~4.7 km |
| 2026-02-18 15:54 | spill, 65 min | ~4.7 km |
Water quality — 7-year trend
Water quality in 2026 was broadly level with 2025.
| Year | EA classification | Samples | E. coli (geo-mean) | Enterococci (geo-mean) | High readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | — | 13 | 15 cfu/100ml | 13 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 3 | 10 cfu/100ml | 12 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 20 | 21 cfu/100ml | 21 cfu/100ml | 2 of 20 |
| 2022 | — | 20 | 13 cfu/100ml | 11 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 20 | 11 cfu/100ml | 11 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 15 | 13 cfu/100ml | 10 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2025 | excellent | 10 | 11 cfu/100ml | 11 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2026 | — | 7 | 11 cfu/100ml | 12 cfu/100ml | 0 |
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.
Downderry — frequently asked questions
Is it safe to swim at Downderry today?
Downderry is currently rated AMBER: 17 mm rain in 48h (this beach's threshold is 12 mm) — runoff and overflows more likely. This is guidance only — also check official alerts and use your judgement.
Has there been a sewage spill near Downderry?
224 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Downderry in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 9 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.
What is Downderry's bathing water classification?
Downderry is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.
Data & provenance
- Last updated
- 2 h ago (2026-08-26 11:15 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, 6 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
- Risk model
- v0.4
- Download
- Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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