Porthmeor water quality

RED

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Porthmeor 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 64 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.

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): 6
Rainfall (48h): 28.2 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-09-22 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

28.2 mm

Rainfall 48h

70.1 mm

Rainfall 7d

Outfalls within 5 km

Spills (2025, official)

Spills 2026 so far (live)

Spills last 30d

high 2.56m

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)

spill, 2 min2026-10-24 · ~5.0 km
spill, 32 min2026-10-23 · ~5.0 km
spill, 237 min2026-10-23 · ~5.0 km
spill, 262 min2026-10-22 · ~5.0 km
spill, 47 min2026-09-30 · ~5.0 km
spill, 5 min2026-09-29 · ~5.0 km
spill, 329 min2026-09-08 · ~5.0 km
spill, 3 min2026-08-21 · ~4.3 km

Full spill history near Porthmeor

Download CSV

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

15 discharge events

Start	End	Outfall	Distance
2026-10-24 14:46	ongoing	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 08:16	2026-10-23 08:46	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 07:41	2026-10-23 08:13	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 03:45	2026-10-23 08:01	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 03:35	2026-10-23 07:45	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-22 20:46	2026-10-23 01:30	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-10-22 20:28	2026-10-23 01:15	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-09-30 01:45	2026-09-30 02:30	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-09-30 01:25	2026-09-30 02:12	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-09-29 22:22	2026-09-29 22:27	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-09-08 04:00	2026-09-08 09:28	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-05-20 08:50	2026-05-21 16:30	ST IVES BAY (C)	~0.5 km
2026-05-18 23:55	2026-05-19 03:51	ATLANTIC (C)	~5.0 km
2026-01-29 17:32	2026-01-29 18:13	ST IVES BAY ATLANTIC OCEAN	~1.6 km
2026-01-29 04:43	2026-01-29 05:55	ST IVES BAY	~0.7 km

20 precise spill records (duration & volume)

When	Detail	Distance
2026-10-24 14:28	spill, 2 min	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 07:41	spill, 32 min	~5.0 km
2026-10-23 03:35	spill, 237 min	~5.0 km
2026-10-22 20:28	spill, 262 min	~5.0 km
2026-09-30 01:25	spill, 47 min	~5.0 km
2026-09-29 22:22	spill, 5 min	~5.0 km
2026-09-08 04:00	spill, 329 min	~5.0 km
2026-08-21 07:46	spill, 3 min	~4.3 km
2026-05-20 08:50	spill, 1900 min	~0.5 km
2026-05-20 08:50	spill, 1900 min	~0.5 km
2026-05-18 23:55	spill, 236 min	~5.0 km
2026-05-18 23:55	spill, 236 min	~5.0 km
2026-02-26 09:26	spill, 0 min	~5.0 km
2026-02-26 09:26	spill, 0 min	~5.0 km
2026-01-30 14:26	spill, 14 min	~4.3 km
2026-01-30 14:26	spill, 14 min	~4.3 km
2026-01-29 17:32	spill, 41 min	~1.6 km
2026-01-29 17:32	spill, 41 min	~1.6 km
2026-01-29 04:43	spill, 72 min	~0.7 km
2026-01-29 04:43	spill, 72 min	~0.7 km

Take action — email SWW / your MP Got ill here? Build a report Report pollution

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)
2019	—	3	10 cfu/100ml	12 cfu/100ml
2020	—	3	14 cfu/100ml	10 cfu/100ml
2021	—	6	10 cfu/100ml	10 cfu/100ml
2022	—	10	12 cfu/100ml	11 cfu/100ml
2023	—	10	10 cfu/100ml	10 cfu/100ml
2024	—	10	14 cfu/100ml	10 cfu/100ml
2025	excellent	20	11 cfu/100ml	11 cfu/100ml
2026	—	15	11 cfu/100ml	11 cfu/100ml

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.

Porthmeor — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Porthmeor today?

Porthmeor 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 Porthmeor?

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

What is Porthmeor's bathing water classification?

Porthmeor is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated: 9 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
Download: Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)

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