Portreath water quality

AMBER

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Portreath 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 336 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 2026-08-27 03:21
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): 6
  • Rainfall (48h): 18.7 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-08-21 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

18.7 mm
Rainfall 48h
28.6 mm
Rainfall 7d
9
Outfalls within 5 km
336
Spills (2025, official)
25
Spills 2026 so far (live)
12
Spills last 30d
falling 0.33m
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 Portreath

Download CSV

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

25 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-08-27 12:152026-08-27 12:45ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.1 km
2026-08-27 12:102026-08-27 12:26ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.1 km
2026-08-27 03:452026-08-27 04:45ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.1 km
2026-08-27 03:412026-08-27 03:56ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.1 km
2026-08-27 02:002026-08-27 02:30TOLVADDON STREAM (S)~3.7 km
2026-08-27 02:002026-08-27 02:15REDRUTH STREAM~4.5 km
2026-08-21 08:152026-08-21 08:45RED RIVER (S)~3.8 km
2026-08-21 08:072026-08-21 08:34RED RIVER (S)~3.8 km
2026-08-21 08:002026-08-21 08:45TOLVADDON STREAM (S)~3.7 km
2026-08-21 07:462026-08-21 08:02TRIB OF THE RED RIVER VIA SWS~4.7 km
2026-08-21 07:442026-08-21 08:19TOLVADDON STREAM (S)~3.7 km
2026-08-21 06:152026-08-21 06:45TOLVADDON STREAM (S)~3.7 km
2026-07-23 19:192026-07-23 19:23LOCAL STREAM (S)~4.6 km
2026-07-23 10:202026-07-23 10:21LOCAL STREAM (S)~4.6 km
2026-07-19 19:302026-07-19 19:45LOCAL STREAM (S)~4.6 km
2026-07-19 19:132026-07-19 19:15LOCAL STREAM (S)~4.6 km
2026-06-25 23:362026-06-25 23:48TRIB OF THE RED RIVER VIA SWS~4.7 km
2026-06-08 04:252026-06-08 04:42TOLVADDON STREAM (S)~3.7 km
2026-06-06 10:082026-06-06 10:21ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.1 km
2026-06-06 08:262026-06-06 08:28RED RIVER~4.7 km
2026-04-30 10:562026-04-30 10:58TRIB OF PORTREATH STREAM~4.0 km
2026-03-02 14:092026-03-02 23:43PORTHTOWAN STREAM (S)~4.7 km
2026-03-01 11:032026-03-01 14:03LOCAL STREAM (S)~4.6 km
2026-02-28 22:052026-02-28 23:11RED RIVER (S)~3.8 km
2026-02-08 16:582026-02-08 17:06REDRUTH STREAM~4.5 km
33 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-08-27 12:10spill, 16 min~1.1 km
2026-08-27 11:04spill, 4 min~4.5 km
2026-08-27 03:41spill, 15 min~1.1 km
2026-08-27 02:51spill, 24 min~1.1 km
2026-08-27 01:46spill, 29 min~3.7 km
2026-08-27 01:46spill, 10 min~4.5 km
2026-08-21 08:07spill, 27 min~3.8 km
2026-08-21 07:46spill, 16 min~4.7 km
2026-08-21 07:44spill, 35 min~3.7 km
2026-08-21 05:59spill, 29 min~3.7 km
2026-07-23 19:19spill, 4 min~4.6 km
2026-07-23 17:06spill, 1 min~4.6 km
2026-07-23 10:20spill, 1 min~4.6 km
2026-07-23 07:50spill, 1 min~4.6 km
2026-07-19 19:13spill, 2 min~4.6 km
2026-06-25 23:36spill, 12 min~4.7 km
2026-06-25 23:36spill, 12 min~4.7 km
2026-06-08 04:25spill, 17 min~3.7 km
2026-06-08 04:25spill, 17 min~3.7 km
2026-06-06 10:08spill, 13 min~1.1 km
2026-06-06 10:08spill, 13 min~1.1 km
2026-06-06 08:26spill, 2 min~4.7 km
2026-06-06 08:26spill, 2 min~4.7 km
2026-04-30 10:56spill, 2 min~4.0 km
2026-04-30 10:56spill, 2 min~4.0 km
2026-03-02 14:09spill, 573 min~4.7 km
2026-03-02 14:09spill, 573 min~4.7 km
2026-03-01 11:03spill, 180 min~4.6 km
2026-03-01 11:03spill, 180 min~4.6 km
2026-02-28 22:05spill, 66 min~3.8 km
2026-02-28 22:05spill, 66 min~3.8 km
2026-02-08 16:58spill, 8 min~4.5 km
2026-02-08 16:58spill, 8 min~4.5 km
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Water quality — 7-year trend

Water quality improved in 2026: average E. coli was 25% lower than 2025.

YearEA classificationSamplesE. coli (geo-mean)Enterococci (geo-mean)High readings
2019—315 cfu/100ml21 cfu/100ml0
2020—310 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2021—513 cfu/100ml10 cfu/100ml0
2022—1023 cfu/100ml15 cfu/100ml0
2023—1010 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2024—2013 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent2015 cfu/100ml14 cfu/100ml0
2026—811 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.

Portreath — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Portreath today?

Portreath 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 Portreath?

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

What is Portreath's bathing water classification?

Portreath is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
11 min ago (2026-08-27 19:30 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, 9 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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