Porthallow water quality

AMBER

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Porthallow is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated AMBER for swimming — A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore. Its latest Environment Agency classification is excellent (2025), and 23 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?
Take care
A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.
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: AMBER A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Incoming/high tide may carry discharge closer to shore.

  • Active overflows nearby: 0
  • Recent overflows (48h): 4
  • Rainfall (48h): 40.0 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

40.0 mm
Rainfall 48h
72.6 mm
Rainfall 7d
3
Outfalls within 5 km
23
Spills (2025, official)
15
Spills 2026 so far (live)
8
Spills last 30d
high 1.78m
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 Porthallow

Download CSV

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

15 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-10-24 12:092026-10-24 12:16(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-10-23 04:152026-10-23 05:15(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-10-23 03:562026-10-23 05:00(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-10-22 15:292026-10-22 15:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
2026-10-22 14:232026-10-22 14:54PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
2026-10-22 11:35ongoingPORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
2026-10-22 10:162026-10-22 10:31PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
2026-10-22 09:462026-10-22 10:01PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
2026-08-30 13:152026-08-30 13:45(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-08-30 12:582026-08-30 13:32(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-08-29 04:452026-08-29 05:30(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-08-29 04:212026-08-29 04:38(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-06-10 14:412026-06-10 14:50(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~2.0 km
2026-05-15 10:332026-05-15 10:35THE HELFORD CREEK(E)~4.9 km
2026-01-29 16:312026-01-30 04:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~0.1 km
20 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-10-24 12:09spill, 7 min~2.0 km
2026-10-24 11:33spill, 13 min~2.0 km
2026-10-23 03:56spill, 12 min~2.0 km
2026-10-22 15:29spill, 6 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 15:17spill, 6 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 14:23spill, 31 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 13:31spill, 32 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 13:02spill, 0 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 12:11spill, 33 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 11:35spill, 26 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 09:55spill, 63 min~0.1 km
2026-10-22 09:10spill, 19 min~0.1 km
2026-08-30 12:58spill, 34 min~2.0 km
2026-08-29 04:21spill, 17 min~2.0 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~2.0 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~2.0 km
2026-05-15 10:33spill, 2 min~4.9 km
2026-05-15 10:33spill, 2 min~4.9 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~0.1 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~0.1 km
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Water quality — 7-year trend

Water quality in 2026 was broadly level with 2025.

YearEA classificationSamplesE. coli (geo-mean)Enterococci (geo-mean)High readings
2019—1216 cfu/100ml15 cfu/100ml0
2020—328 cfu/100ml63 cfu/100ml1 of 3
2021—2017 cfu/100ml17 cfu/100ml1 of 20
2022—2017 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2023—2012 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2024—2014 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent1010 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2026—1011 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.

Porthallow — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Porthallow today?

Porthallow is currently rated AMBER: A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. 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 Porthallow?

23 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Porthallow in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 15 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Porthallow's bathing water classification?

Porthallow 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, 3 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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