Portmellon water quality
AMBERdesignated bathing water · · South West Water
Portmellon 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 106 storm-overflow spills were recorded nearby in 2025. Below: live risk, recent spills, official samples, rainfall, tides and nearby reports.
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): 1
- Rainfall (48h): 18.1 mm
Official EA classification
excellent (2025)
Latest official sample
2026-08-18 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml
Latest independent sample
None published
Pollution & environment data
Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)
- 2026-08-26 23:53 · ended~2.1 km
In the news nearby
Storm-overflow spills near here, by year (EDM)
Recent spills near here (precise, SWW)
- spill, 5 min2026-08-26 · ~2.1 km
- spill, 41 min2026-07-07 · ~4.4 km
- spill, 2 min2026-06-10 · ~4.4 km
- spill, 2 min2026-06-10 · ~4.4 km
- spill, 8 min2026-06-01 · ~2.5 km
- spill, 8 min2026-06-01 · ~2.5 km
- spill, 13 min2026-06-01 · ~2.1 km
- spill, 13 min2026-06-01 · ~2.1 km
Full spill history near Portmellon
Download CSVEvery storm-overflow discharge Glanmor has recorded within 5 km of Portmellon, newest first.
9 discharge events
| Start | End | Outfall | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-26 23:53 | 2026-08-26 23:58 | PORTMELLON STREAM(S) | ~2.1 km |
| 2026-07-07 12:30 | 2026-07-07 12:45 | TRIBUTARY OF WHITE RIVER | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-07-07 11:35 | 2026-07-07 12:16 | TRIBUTARY OF WHITE RIVER | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-06-10 09:35 | 2026-06-10 09:38 | TRIBUTARY OF WHITE RIVER | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-06-01 20:02 | 2026-06-01 20:10 | ATLANTIC OCEAN (C) | ~2.5 km |
| 2026-06-01 19:19 | 2026-06-01 19:32 | PORTMELLON STREAM(S) | ~2.1 km |
| 2026-04-12 14:23 | 2026-04-12 14:27 | MEVAGISSEY BAY | ~1.0 km |
| 2025-12-20 18:38 | 2025-12-20 18:46 | ST AUSTELL RIVER (S) | ~3.4 km |
| 2025-11-04 12:33 | 2025-11-04 12:34 | STREAM (S) | ~0.1 km |
14 precise spill records (duration & volume)
| When | Detail | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-26 23:53 | spill, 5 min | ~2.1 km |
| 2026-07-07 11:35 | spill, 41 min | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-06-10 09:35 | spill, 2 min | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-06-10 09:35 | spill, 2 min | ~4.4 km |
| 2026-06-01 20:02 | spill, 8 min | ~2.5 km |
| 2026-06-01 20:02 | spill, 8 min | ~2.5 km |
| 2026-06-01 19:19 | spill, 13 min | ~2.1 km |
| 2026-06-01 19:19 | spill, 13 min | ~2.1 km |
| 2026-04-12 14:23 | spill, 3 min | ~1.0 km |
| 2026-04-12 14:23 | spill, 3 min | ~1.0 km |
| 2025-12-20 18:38 | spill, 8 min | ~3.4 km |
| 2025-12-20 18:38 | spill, 8 min | ~3.4 km |
| 2025-11-04 12:33 | spill, 2 min | ~0.1 km |
| 2025-11-04 12:33 | spill, 2 min | ~0.1 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 | — | 12 | 12 cfu/100ml | 15 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 3 | 12 cfu/100ml | 10 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 20 | 13 cfu/100ml | 13 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 20 | 19 cfu/100ml | 21 cfu/100ml | 1 of 20 |
| 2023 | — | 20 | 15 cfu/100ml | 18 cfu/100ml | 2 of 20 |
| 2024 | — | 20 | 14 cfu/100ml | 16 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2025 | excellent | 20 | 11 cfu/100ml | 12 cfu/100ml | 0 |
| 2026 | — | 11 | 11 cfu/100ml | 10 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.
Portmellon — frequently asked questions
Is it safe to swim at Portmellon today?
Portmellon 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 Portmellon?
106 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Portmellon in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 7 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.
What is Portmellon's bathing water classification?
Portmellon is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.
Data & provenance
- Last updated
- 1 h ago (2026-08-27 15:45 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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