Agenda item
BLUE FLAG STATUS FOR DENBIGHSHIRE'S BEACHES
To consider a joint
report (copy attached) by the Head of Highways and Environmental Services &
the Corporate Director: Environment
& Economy on the work being undertaken with partner organisations in a bid
to receive blue flag status accreditation for as many as possible of the
county’s beaches.
10.05am – 11.30am
BREAK 11.30am – 11.45am
Minutes:
The Lead Member for Environment and Transport
introduced the report (previously
circulated) to members. The Chair welcomed
representatives from both Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Dŵr Cymru
Welsh Water (DCWW) to the meeting to contribute to the discussion and answer
members’ questions. The Lead Member
thanked officers for their attendance at the meeting.
The
report enabled Members to scrutinise the work being undertaken with partner
organisations in a bid to achieve blue flag status accreditation for as many as
possible of the county’s beaches. It was emphasised that it would be very
difficult for Rhyl to achieve Blue Flag status due to its proximity to the
estuary of the river Clwyd and the effects of the incoming tide. The obstacles and challenges Rhyl faced with
regards to this were outlined in presentations given by both NRW and DCWW as
were the reasons why Prestatyn’s beaches had moved from excellent water quality
to good water quality resulting in its Blue Flag status being removed.
The Senior Officer:
Regulatory Approaches Natural
Resources Wales (NRW) guided members through a presentation on the Blue
Flag Status for Denbighshire’s Beaches. Members were guided through the
classification process used to determine the water quality on beaches.
In 2015 the process for testing water quality
became more stringent with samples assessed for faecal bacteria E Coli and
Intestinal Enterococci. Members were shown detailed graphs containing the
percentages of bacteria found in water over previous years. If the Prediction and Discounting
(P&D) data recorded more than two consecutive days of poor water quality
the water was deemed unfit for bathing.
In such cases Denbighshire County Council (DCC) would put out signs by
10am to warn the public that the water was classified as unfit for bathing.
Impacts on water quality in Rhyl were
explained including sewage works, pumping stations and sewer overflows along
with agricultural impacts such as livestock access to streams and land
spreading which all had implications on the quality of the water on Rhyl’s
beaches.
Moving forward, NRW had a number of schemes
in place to try and reduce agricultural bacteria spilling into the water
system, namely the continued regulation of permitted discharges, Storm Overflow
classification Guidance and the continued focus on the reduction of
agricultural bacteria sources. Longer term solutions were outlined and explained. However, a significant increase in funding
from central government would be required for agricultural schemes to provide
incentives for farmers to install schemes.
The
Chair thanked the Senior Officer: Regulatory Approaches for NRW’s presentation.
The
River Quality Liaison Officer from DCWW guided Members through a presentation
on bathing water quality.
DCWW
disinfected the final effluent near bathing waters, but this was not usual
practice for rivers. This helped to maintain the bathing quality. Denbigh,
Dyserth, St Asaph and Llanasa wastewater treatment works all received UV
treatment. DCWW worked with NRW to make further improvements and where
identified these would become part of their five yearly investment plans. DCWW
also undertook investigations into bathing water quality in areas where their
assets may contribute to worse status locations.
Members
were given details on water overflow in the vicinity of Rhyl and Prestatyn
beaches. Across the bathing season storm overflows were discharging on two
sample days with exceptional wet weather recorded by the Met Office also
contributing to poor bathing water results.
DCWW
completed a Coastal Bathing Waters study for Rhyl and Prestatyn in 2017 which
indicated that diffuse pollution sources were the main factor for affecting
bathing water quality. Further support from DCWW was requested by NRW to expand
understanding of diffuse sources and therefore the Natural Environmental
Programme (NEP) output for DCWW to complete another bathing water study for
2020-2025. Water quality data from the studies carried out were explained in
detail to members.
The
Chair thanked the River Quality Liaison Officer for DCWW presentation and
questions were welcomed from Members.
Members
questioned the strategies that were in place for pumping stations and outflow
pipes. The Sewerage Manager stated that routine maintenance was carried out
regularly across the county. Pumping
stations were inspected on at least a weekly basis, with some in coastal areas
more prone to sand blockages being inspected more frequently. Cleaning of pipework was also frequently
conducted. DCWW held a lot of
intelligence on all its infrastructure and this data was used to manage its
infrastructure on risk basis. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) was also now coming to the fore with respect of storm
overflow management. Officers emphasised
that the source of most pollution that entered the sea was the river systems,
not DCWW assets.
Members
asked if funding was an issue within the current climate. The Sewerage Manager
stated that funding was not a problem currently.
Members
highlighted the need for there to be a working partnership with NRW, Welsh
Water and farmers and questioned what incentives were in place to encourage
farmers to work alongside the schemes. The Senior Officer: Regulatory
Approaches (NRW) stated that there were currently no incentives in place for
farmers. There were no regulations in place prohibiting farm livestock using or
entering rivers. Nevertheless, NRW worked closely with riparian landowners to
encourage the fencing of riverbanks and identification of alternative water
sources for livestock to access. The
issue potential funding had been raised with Welsh Government however, no
information was available to suggest that this was being considered at this
time.
Members
asked questions on beaches, rivers, ditches/drainage systems, as well as
planning matters relating to their specific wards, it was suggested that these
questions were answered in Member Area Group (MAG) meetings which were held to
discuss issues within different areas of the county. NRW and DCWW officers indicated their
agreement to attend MAG meetings for this purpose, subject to each MAG
providing them with a detailed brief on the issues that required their
input. This would ensure that the most
appropriate officers would be in attendance in order to provide comprehensive
answers to the questions raised. Both
organisations advised members to encourage residents to report any incidents of
pollution, burst mains, flooding etc. to their helpline numbers as this was the
most effective way for them to respond to incidents and to improve services
going forward.
At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Chair thanked NRW and DCWW representatives for attending the meeting to give their informative presentations and for providing comprehensive answers to members’ wide-range of questions. It was:
Resolved:
subject to the above to –
(i)
acknowledge the work being
undertaken by all partner organisations with regards to improving the quality
of bathing water in Denbighshire, including each partner’s specific role in
relation to achieving Blue Flag status accreditation for as many as possible of
the county’s beaches; and
(ii)
acknowledge both Natural Resources
Wales (NRW) and Dŵr
Cymru Welsh Water’s (DCWW) willingness to attend any of the Council’s Member
Area Groups (MAGs) meetings to discuss local/specific areas of interest or
concern subject to each MAG providing the organisations with a clear brief
beforehand on the issues they wish to discuss.
Supporting documents:
-
Blue Flag Status Report 191224, item 5.
PDF 249 KB
-
Blue Flag Status Report 191224 - App A, item 5.
PDF 200 KB
-
Blue Flag Status Report 191224 - App B, item 5.
PDF 839 KB
-
Blue Flag Status Report 191224 - App C, item 5.
PDF 170 KB
-
Blue Flag Status Report 191224 - App D, item 5.
PDF 276 KB