Tolcarne water quality

AMBER

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Tolcarne 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 178 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.
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): 2
  • Rainfall (48h): 15.2 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

15.2 mm
Rainfall 48h
19.7 mm
Rainfall 7d
8
Outfalls within 5 km
178
Spills (2025, official)
11
Spills 2026 so far (live)
3
Spills last 30d
falling 0.52m
Tide now

Recent storm overflows nearby (30 days)

In the news nearby

Storm-overflow spills near here, by year (EDM)

Recent spills near here (precise, SWW)

Full spill history near Tolcarne

Download CSV

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

11 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-08-27 02:302026-08-27 03:45UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~1.7 km
2026-08-27 02:282026-08-27 02:34UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~1.7 km
2026-08-19 04:422026-08-19 05:15UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~1.7 km
2026-06-19 23:482026-06-19 23:58UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~1.7 km
2026-06-18 02:262026-06-18 04:19TRIB OF PORTH JOKE~4.5 km
2026-05-22 16:312026-05-22 16:36ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~2.7 km
2026-05-03 17:292026-05-03 18:59ATLANTIC OCEAN(T)~1.9 km
2026-05-03 13:422026-05-03 14:14RIVER GANNEL (S)~2.9 km
2026-03-03 13:372026-03-03 13:50NEWQUAY BAY (C)~1.0 km
2026-02-27 21:402026-03-06 03:58STREAM/ATLANTIC OCEAN (S)~3.8 km
2026-02-01 22:542026-02-01 22:58CRANTOCK BEACH (C)~3.1 km
21 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-08-27 02:28spill, 6 min~1.7 km
2026-08-26 22:50spill, 4 min~1.7 km
2026-08-19 04:42spill, 10 min~1.7 km
2026-06-19 23:48spill, 10 min~1.7 km
2026-06-19 23:48spill, 10 min~1.7 km
2026-06-18 02:26spill, 113 min~4.5 km
2026-06-18 02:26spill, 113 min~4.5 km
2026-05-22 16:31spill, 6 min~2.7 km
2026-05-22 16:31spill, 6 min~2.7 km
2026-05-03 17:29spill, 90 min~1.9 km
2026-05-03 17:29spill, 90 min~1.9 km
2026-05-03 13:42spill, 32 min~2.9 km
2026-05-03 13:42spill, 32 min~2.9 km
2026-03-03 13:37spill, 13 min~1.0 km
2026-03-03 13:37spill, 13 min~1.0 km
2026-02-27 21:40spill, 9018 min~3.8 km
2026-02-27 21:40spill, 9018 min~3.8 km
2026-02-25 12:14spill, 6 min~1.7 km
2026-02-25 12:14spill, 6 min~1.7 km
2026-02-01 22:54spill, 3 min~3.1 km
2026-02-01 22:54spill, 3 min~3.1 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—312 cfu/100ml12 cfu/100ml0
2020—325 cfu/100ml55 cfu/100ml0
2021—516 cfu/100ml13 cfu/100ml0
2022—1115 cfu/100ml17 cfu/100ml0
2023—1120 cfu/100ml24 cfu/100ml1 of 11
2024—1012 cfu/100ml11 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent2011 cfu/100ml14 cfu/100ml1 of 20
2026—1111 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.

Tolcarne — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Tolcarne today?

Tolcarne 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 Tolcarne?

178 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Tolcarne in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 11 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Tolcarne's bathing water classification?

Tolcarne is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
12 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, 8 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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