Porthoustock water quality

AMBER

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Porthoustock is a designated bathing water in Cornwall, currently rated AMBER for swimming — A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Falling tide may draw discharge along the 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?
Take care
A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore.
South West Water status: Amber · since 2026-10-24 12:11
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: AMBER A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore.

  • Active overflows nearby: 0
  • Recent overflows (48h): 5
  • Rainfall (48h): 36.6 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-09-25 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

36.6 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
falling 1.64m
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 Porthoustock

Download CSV

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

25 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-10-24 14:242026-10-24 15:16COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-10-24 12:092026-10-24 12:16(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-10-24 11:062026-10-24 13:30COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-10-23 04:152026-10-23 05:15(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-10-23 03:562026-10-23 05:00(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-10-22 15:292026-10-22 15:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
2026-10-22 14:232026-10-22 14:54PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
2026-10-22 11:35ongoingPORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
2026-10-22 10:162026-10-22 10:31PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
2026-10-22 09:462026-10-22 10:01PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
2026-08-30 13:292026-08-30 13:31COVERACK COVE (C)~4.2 km
2026-08-30 13:152026-08-30 13:45(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-08-30 12:582026-08-30 13:32(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-08-30 12:452026-08-30 14:30COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-08-30 12:242026-08-30 12:27COVERACK COVE (C)~4.2 km
2026-08-30 12:222026-08-30 14:15COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-08-29 04:452026-08-29 05:30COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-08-29 04:452026-08-29 05:30(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-08-29 04:292026-08-29 05:02COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-08-29 04:212026-08-29 04:38(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-07-30 09:292026-07-30 09:50COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-06-10 14:412026-06-10 14:50(S) ST KEVERNE STREAM~1.8 km
2026-05-02 13:562026-05-02 14:53COVERACK COVE(C)~4.2 km
2026-02-03 16:152026-02-03 16:16COVERACK COVE (C)~4.2 km
2026-01-29 16:312026-01-30 04:35PORTHALLOW STREAM (S)~1.7 km
31 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-10-24 14:24spill, 27 min~4.2 km
2026-10-24 13:54spill, 2 min~4.2 km
2026-10-24 13:19spill, 2 min~4.2 km
2026-10-24 12:09spill, 7 min~1.8 km
2026-10-24 11:33spill, 13 min~1.8 km
2026-10-24 11:06spill, 114 min~4.2 km
2026-10-23 03:56spill, 12 min~1.8 km
2026-10-22 15:29spill, 6 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 15:17spill, 6 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 14:23spill, 31 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 13:31spill, 32 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 13:02spill, 0 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 12:11spill, 33 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 11:35spill, 26 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 09:55spill, 63 min~1.7 km
2026-10-22 09:10spill, 19 min~1.7 km
2026-08-30 13:29spill, 3 min~4.2 km
2026-08-30 12:58spill, 34 min~1.8 km
2026-08-30 12:24spill, 3 min~4.2 km
2026-08-30 12:22spill, 104 min~4.2 km
2026-08-29 04:29spill, 33 min~4.2 km
2026-08-29 04:21spill, 17 min~1.8 km
2026-07-30 09:29spill, 21 min~4.2 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~1.8 km
2026-06-10 14:41spill, 9 min~1.8 km
2026-05-02 13:56spill, 57 min~4.2 km
2026-05-02 13:56spill, 57 min~4.2 km
2026-02-03 16:15spill, 1 min~4.2 km
2026-02-03 16:15spill, 1 min~4.2 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~1.7 km
2026-01-29 16:31spill, 724 min~1.7 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—310 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2020—312 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2021—510 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2022—1010 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2023—1112 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2024—1010 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent2010 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2026—1511 cfu/100ml10 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.

Porthoustock — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Porthoustock today?

Porthoustock is currently rated AMBER: A storm overflow discharged within 5 km in the last 48 hours. Falling tide may draw discharge along the shore. This is guidance only — also check official alerts and use your judgement.

Has there been a sewage spill near Porthoustock?

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

What is Porthoustock's bathing water classification?

Porthoustock is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
2 min ago (2026-10-24 16:00 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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