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Water Quality

The catchment surrounding Saunton Sands is approximately 105 hectares. The Saunton Stream is approximately half a kilometre long and is channelled underground at the beach car park. The Taw/Torridge Estuary enters the sea at the southern end of Saunton Sands four kilometres from the Environment Agency monitoring point. The catchment is rural.

What is water quality?

Bathing water quality refers to the amount of bacteria present in the sea, which can vary from beach to beach, and can change daily, even on the same beach. High levels of bacteria can indicate pollution from sewage treatment works and storm overflows or run-off from agricultural and urban areas.

Water quality is usually reduced for 24 to 72 hours after heavy rainfall.

Annual results

2014: Excellent

At the end of this summer, beaches will be classified with new standards that use four years of sample data. The projected result above shows how the beach would have been rated last year if the new standards had been used, using data from 2011 to 2014.

2015

No water quality warning issued 11 Sep 2015

For more information please visit gov.uk/government/policies/water-quality

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