Great news for residents and visitors to East Cowes Esplanade.
From the 2022 summer season the Environment Agency will regularly and routinely sample, test, and monitor the sea water along East Cowes Esplanade to ensure it’s free from sewage or other pollutants, thus reassuring local residents and holidaymakers it is safe to bathe.
How it came about
In 2012 Southern Water replaced their leaking sewage pipe, which runs from West Cowes under the River Medina to their Springhill pumping station in East Cowes.
Following this, concerns were raised by local residents that the sea water along the tranquil East Cowes Esplanade beaches and in the River Medina estuary was also being polluted by discharges from that nearby pumping station.
This led to the formation of the campaign group FAECES (Fight Against Environmental Contamination of Estuaries and Seafronts).
Community Beach Cleans
The FAECES team started by organising Community Beach Cleans under the auspices of ‘Surfers Against Sewage’ and the ‘Council for the Preservation of Rural England’ in the Spring and Autumn of 2014.
These Beach Cleans have been continued each year since and enthusiastically supported by many local residents, town councillors, and county councillors, the most recent one was held in March 2022.
Applied for EU Bathing Water Quality Status
In 2015 FAECES decided to apply for the EU Bathing Water Quality Status and the team Lin Kemp, Angie Harris, Janice Douse and Michael Douse undertook the submission comprising many detailed comprehensive surveys with the assistance of many supportive local people.
Unfortunately that application was unsuccessful because the number of persons considered to be classified as bathers was disputed by the EU adjudicators.
Application to DEFRA
In view of recent adverse national publicity aimed at Water Companies in 2021, FAECES decided it would be prudent to apply to DEFRA, who are now responsible, for Bathing Water Quality Status.
With the welcome financial support from the East Cowes Town Council the FAECES team was able to organise regular seawater sampling, collected by David Hill, a member of the “Shrape Swimmers”(who swim off the Esplanade everyday of the year), and sent by the ECTC Facilities Manager, Andrew Thomas, to the accredited laboratories at Porton Down for analysis.
Community efforts rewarded
These seawater sample results together with yet more detailed surveys of beach usage and quality of the various shoreside facilities were undertaken by many local residents and incorporated into the DEFRA submission, which has proven to have been successful.
East Cowes Esplanade has achieved DEFRA Bathing Water Quality Status.
News shared by Michael Douse on behalf of the FAECES team. Ed
Image: Looking towards East Cowes Esplanade from Cowes by sermoa under CC BY 2.0
