Beach Safety in Thanet and its Future

Figures recently released for year-2,000 show that 75 of our 471 bathing beaches in the UK failed to reach a safety assessment (WHO microbiological assessment, Class C) for faecal derived bacteriological tests i.e. pathogen pollution. The WHO recommends acceptance of a safer mandatory standard (Class B) for potential pathogen pollution than now is in place. Currently, 221 of our beaches reach this stricter B classification, and 57 passed at the highest Class A. Thus for the past few years 193 of our beaches failed the WHO median standard i.e. Class B.

Government commissioned research by Cascade Consultants gave an estimation of between 1.3 and 2.2 million cases of stomach upsets occuring each year due to bathing in our contaminated waters. Simple arithmetic shows that the Thanet beaches’ share is roughly between 2,796 and 4,671 cases. The vast majority of upsets are self-limiting, however, and therefore go unreported. Upsets also are rarely associated by victims to their beach visit. This excludes eye, ear, nose, throat, broken skin and respiratory virus infection.

The WHO found a high risk of infection at beaches impacted by sewage discharges. DEFRA announced that 180 of our UK beaches (including Margate) were of poor quality in year-2002. Currently there are three different organisations, each with their own slightly different quality standard for bathing waters (DEFRA, European Commission and the Tidy Britain Group), none of which are as high as those standards recommended, by among other NGOs, the Marine Conservation Society. The Ministry of Health officers pay insouciant regard to the local problem. It fails to realize that the Environment Agency does not deal with health matters.

There are a number of enteroviruses (Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Calcicivirus, Astrovirus) as well as Hepatitis A and Poliovirus found in sewage effluent that can cause debilitating illness, or even fatality in the most vulnerable victim (children, diabetics, pregnant women and the elderly). Acute viroenteritis occurs more frequently in human coastal populations and is associated with storm sewage spills, also some transmission occurs via virus carried in seaspray.

There are about a dozen genera of pathogenic bacteria occurring in sewage spills including juvenile and strain 0527 E.coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has reached a crisis point with the MRSA pathogen, others must soon follow. And academics ask ‘As host and pathogen evolve together, will the immune system and antibiotics retain the upper hand’. Every effort must be made therefore to keep the incidence of all infections low.

Newsmedia reports of an improving bathing water quality at Thanet beaches is an over-simplification. As will be shown improvement is limited to Ramsgate and Herne Bay regions. There is no scientific evidence for continuity in improvement for the Thanet beaches outside of these two regions. In compliance with the now superseded Bathing Water Directive (BWD) 1976, quality is assessed at each beach by 20 bacteriological tests carried out at weekly intervals throughout the summer. Two test failures results in loss of any Seaside or Blue Flag award. Analysis of the faecal coliform counts (sewage indicator bacterium) taken from test data gathered over the past 14-years shows that Margate bay is safest in early summer with counts increasing for late summer. On a beach (water or wet sand) a substantial proportion of faecal bacteria retain viability beyond 10-days, and can even over-winter. Pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods, but beach tests for them are rarely carried out. Margate bay failed the annual quality assessment in 1991 and 2002 (three test failures). The foulest beach had been at Ramsgate, it failed every year from at least 1988 through to 1995. Then passes and improvement came with the building of a new sewage works. A similar story occurs for Herne Bay. Broadstairs beach failed the assessment for 1991, 1996 and 1998. Incredibly, in 1998 the number of test failures there was ten. Joss bay also failed that year. Evidently, the sewage works at North Foreland (Broadstairs) cannot cope with its influx. Contribution to quality insufficiency from sewage spills at nearby Longnose Spit (Foreness Point) is most likely, but is undetermined. Regulations require installation of a sewage disinfection unit (UV-irradiation) there by year-2005. Tests at Westgate, Westbrook and Walpole bays only appear from 1998 onwards. Fulsham Rock, St.Mildred’s and Minnis Bays had the lowest pathogen pollution, apart from much beached sanitary detritus (no change in recent years). In perspective, Folkestone beach is the worst affected in Kent.

The problem at Margate bay is compounded by spills, though relatively small, containing faecal microbes from the Tivoli Brooks outfall adjacent to the tidal paddling pool. No organisation accepts responsibility, no owner can be found despite Thanet Disctrict Councils’ vigorous attempt to resolve the insufficiency. Now DEFRA has been asked to find a solution.

There is no safe level of exposure in bathing waters either to sewage borne bacteria or viruses. Beaches are now to be publicised by governmental and tourism organisations as being ‘Excellent’ (2.5% risk of contracting gastroenteritis) or ‘Good’ (5.0% risk) quality for bathing. A reduction from between a 12% to 15% risk featured in the in the BWD 1976. So this does not mean that they are safe. The stricter mandatory test level recently set for beach annual assessment by the restructured BWD 2002, still accord (as happened also in 1976) with pollution microbe levels that now should be easily achievable by water companies. Amongst biomedical scientists, however, not a strict enough parameter had been introduced. And it does not quite fall into line with the WHO Class B categorisation. The test level set was not quite as strict as had been outlined in the consultative draft document preceding the Directive. The public have yet to be informed as to how the reform is to affect the Tidy Britain Group’s ‘Seaside Award’ or ‘Blue Flag’ status that they confer on a beach. Implementation deadlines for the restructured BWD are phased for 2005. Unless there is a shift in the goal posts for the number of test failures for a beach each summer than many of Thanet beaches regularly will fail quality assessments. Data from the past 14-years shows, for example, that Margate would have failed annual assessment on nine occasions.

Marine pollution by man-made chemicals is outside the scope of this article, but represents an ever mounting additional hazard to all life forms.

Better practical state-of-the-art schemes are available, however, for updating sewage works than being offered by Southern Water Services Ltd for the Margate (Foreness Point/Longnose Spit) sewage works extension. Surprisingly, there are no plans for updating the Broadstairs sewage works, other than during dry weather to transport a small amount of sewage (likely to be insufficient) to the proposed extended Margate works. Discharge of untreated crude sewage mixed with rainwater will continue whenever there is heavy rainfall (about three times each summer, but expected to increase due to climatic change), spill being directly onto our designated bathing beaches via Combined Stormwater-Sewage Outfalls (CSOs). Impacted beaches retain its highest hazard for about three days thereafter. There are about ten operational CSO’s serving the Ramsgate/Broadstairs/Margate catchments. In breach of regulations, the numbers of spills through them have not been recorded for many years. Sewage works are sited at Weatherlees (Ramsgate), North Foreland (Broadstairs), Foreness (Margate) and Herne Bay. Thus a large number of our beaches will fail to reach even the new assessment quality because of weather conditions. Curiously, the new BWD 2002 does not access the CSO problem, though the government want CSO spills to be reduced to only a one-in-twenty year event by year-2025. During dry weather periods sewage spills occur via long sewage outfall (LSO) pipelines, each of well over a kilometre off the coastline.

As well as humans, marine mammals also are seriously affected by sewage pathogen pollution (e.g. 14 pollution pathogens affecting whales and dolphins; epidemic of distemper virus in North Sea seals, and an otter pathogen from flushing cat litter down the toilet.) Sewage also forms a scum layer that smothers the life out of seabed dwelling organisms, such as corals and molluscs.

Will the public agree to subsidise water companies in order to bring about improvement over the next 25-years, is a question government asked. Of the £4.1 billion estimated for improvement, a government study (EFTEC consultants) shows that the public are willing to pay only £776 million. But the government are crafty in avoiding this payout and evade their duty to govern. This by throwing the blame onto the lay public whose opinion was as ever predictable. What do OFWAT have to say on the problem? Interestingly, the judge in a High Court case had asserted that expense was not a consideration for environmental health protection!

Government consultants (Cascade) somehow have been unable to estimate the cost of upgrading the Combined Sewage Stormwater Outfall (CSO) discharge system to one spill per calendar year onto a beach (currently 15 are ‘allowed’). But the cost is simply estimated, it is that of installing a sewage-stormwater holding tank scheme (as already installed at Brighton and Hastings) combined with outfall sterilization by UV-irradiation.

In conclusion, ‘safety’ levels of pollution pathogens on our beaches will not be attainable until stormwater-sewage holding tanks alongside disinfection units are installed at the coastal and estuarine sewage works in East Kent. Hence beach visitors should not expect good bathing until around year-2006; but safety will not approach its best practical optimal for bathing until at least year-2025. Meantime the public should be made aware of the risk, and also they should avoid beaches and coastal waters for about three-days following heavy rainfall until around that time.

Dr Joseph M.Gaugas November 12^th 2002