Towan water quality

AMBER

designated bathing water · · South West Water

Towan 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): 4
  • Rainfall (48h): 0.4 mm

Official EA classification

excellent (2025)

Latest official sample

2026-08-11 — E.coli 10, enterococci 10 cfu/100ml

Latest independent sample

None published

Pollution & environment data

0.4 mm
Rainfall 48h
9.1 mm
Rainfall 7d
9
Outfalls within 5 km
178
Spills (2025, official)
18
Spills 2026 so far (live)
5
Spills last 30d
falling 0.81m
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 Towan

Download CSV

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

18 discharge events
StartEndOutfallDistance
2026-08-25 10:452026-08-25 11:15STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-08-25 10:272026-08-25 10:47STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-08-25 07:302026-08-25 07:45STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-08-25 07:122026-08-25 07:19STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-08-19 04:422026-08-19 05:15UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~2.4 km
2026-06-30 20:262026-06-30 20:43STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-06-30 20:002026-06-30 21:30STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-06-30 19:062026-06-30 21:15STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-06-30 17:152026-06-30 18:00STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-06-24 11:442026-06-24 11:48STREAM (S)~5.0 km
2026-06-19 23:482026-06-19 23:58UNNAMED DITCH,TRENANCE LAKE(S)~2.4 km
2026-06-18 02:262026-06-18 04:19TRIB OF PORTH JOKE~3.7 km
2026-05-22 16:312026-05-22 16:36ATLANTIC OCEAN (C)~1.9 km
2026-05-03 17:292026-05-03 18:59ATLANTIC OCEAN(T)~1.5 km
2026-05-03 13:422026-05-03 14:14RIVER GANNEL (S)~2.1 km
2026-03-03 13:372026-03-03 13:50NEWQUAY BAY (C)~0.5 km
2026-02-27 21:402026-03-06 03:58STREAM/ATLANTIC OCEAN (S)~4.5 km
2026-02-01 22:542026-02-01 22:58CRANTOCK BEACH (C)~2.3 km
26 precise spill records (duration & volume)
WhenDetailDistance
2026-08-25 10:27spill, 20 min~5.0 km
2026-08-25 07:12spill, 6 min~5.0 km
2026-08-19 04:42spill, 10 min~2.4 km
2026-06-30 20:26spill, 17 min~5.0 km
2026-06-30 19:06spill, 53 min~5.0 km
2026-06-30 18:50spill, 1 min~5.0 km
2026-06-24 11:44spill, 3 min~5.0 km
2026-06-24 11:44spill, 3 min~5.0 km
2026-06-19 23:48spill, 10 min~2.4 km
2026-06-19 23:48spill, 10 min~2.4 km
2026-06-18 02:26spill, 113 min~3.7 km
2026-06-18 02:26spill, 113 min~3.7 km
2026-05-22 16:31spill, 6 min~1.9 km
2026-05-22 16:31spill, 6 min~1.9 km
2026-05-03 17:29spill, 90 min~1.5 km
2026-05-03 17:29spill, 90 min~1.5 km
2026-05-03 13:42spill, 32 min~2.1 km
2026-05-03 13:42spill, 32 min~2.1 km
2026-03-03 13:37spill, 13 min~0.5 km
2026-03-03 13:37spill, 13 min~0.5 km
2026-02-27 21:40spill, 9018 min~4.5 km
2026-02-27 21:40spill, 9018 min~4.5 km
2026-02-25 12:14spill, 6 min~2.5 km
2026-02-25 12:14spill, 6 min~2.5 km
2026-02-01 22:54spill, 3 min~2.3 km
2026-02-01 22:54spill, 3 min~2.3 km
Take action — email SWW / your MPGot ill here? Build a reportReport pollution

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—1212 cfu/100ml17 cfu/100ml0
2020—365 cfu/100ml108 cfu/100ml2 of 3
2021—2016 cfu/100ml15 cfu/100ml0
2022—2219 cfu/100ml18 cfu/100ml0
2023—2124 cfu/100ml23 cfu/100ml1 of 21
2024—2016 cfu/100ml19 cfu/100ml0
2025excellent2017 cfu/100ml20 cfu/100ml1 of 20
2026—1415 cfu/100ml17 cfu/100ml1 of 14

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.

Towan — frequently asked questions

Is it safe to swim at Towan today?

Towan 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 Towan?

178 storm-overflow spills were recorded near Towan in 2025 (EA Event Duration Monitoring), and 18 spill events have been logged nearby so far this year.

What is Towan's bathing water classification?

Towan is classified excellent for 2025 by the Environment Agency.

Data & provenance

Last updated
5 min ago (2026-08-26 18:45 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, 9 outfalls monitored within 5 km.
Risk model
v0.4
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Sample timeline (JSON) · All beaches (CSV)
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