Exmouth - Pollution Incident Response

Exmouth Harbour - colourful houses line a quayside, with many boats moored in the small harbour.

Find out more about our actions regarding water quality in Exmouth. Following a number of sewage pollution incidents since 2023, we have been investigating the events, monitoring to understand the impact on the environment and ensuring South West Water (SWW) implement a sewerage system fit for the future.

Our previous external briefing can be found on the right-hand side of this page, or at the bottom of this page if you are viewing it on a smaller screen.

From now on all updates will be provided via this webpage.


EDM Data Annual Return 2024

We published the Event

Find out more about our actions regarding water quality in Exmouth. Following a number of sewage pollution incidents since 2023, we have been investigating the events, monitoring to understand the impact on the environment and ensuring South West Water (SWW) implement a sewerage system fit for the future.

Our previous external briefing can be found on the right-hand side of this page, or at the bottom of this page if you are viewing it on a smaller screen.

From now on all updates will be provided via this webpage.


EDM Data Annual Return 2024

We published the Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) Annual Return Data on Thursday 27 March 2025. You can view it here: Event Duration Monitoring - Storm Overflows - Annual Returns (data.gov.uk)(External link)


Event Duration Monitors are fitted to all water company owned storm overflows in England. They automatically record the number and duration of spills at a storm overflow. They do not record the volume of water that is spilt, only the duration, and the published data does not differentiate between illegal and permitted spills.


Storm overflow spill counts and duration remain at unacceptably high levels again in this year’s EDM Annual Returns. Across the country:

  • The total duration (hours) of monitored spills in 2024 was 3,614,428 – an increase of 0.2% compared to the 3,606,170 hours in 2023.
  • The total number of storm overflow spills recorded in 2024 was 450,398, a decrease of 2.9% compared to the 464,056 spills in 2023.
  • The average number of spills per overflow decreased from 33.1 in 2023 to 31.8 in 2024.

Data in the EDM Annual Return is key for us to understand how often and for how long storm overflows operate, which informs inspections and investigations into their use. We put permits in place for storm overflow operation to ensure they are only used when they should be – during times of rainfall and snowmelt. We analyse EDM data against rainfall to target investigations into those storm overflows that appear to be spilling in dry weather and are non-compliant with their permit. When storm overflows operate when they shouldn’t, they can affect the water quality in our rivers and coasts.

In the South West, EDM data enables us to influence South West Water (SWW) to undertake investigations and improvements to storm overflows over the next four years. From 2024 to April 2025 in Devon and Cornwall we inspected 335 SWW assets. Locations are prioritised according to environmental sensitivity such as sites that impact bathing waters, but we also prioritise visits where EDM data is showing spills are higher than they should be. For 2024-2025 we will more than double our inspection numbers and increase our attendance to lower category incidents.

This year marks the start of positive long-term changes with:
  • Approximately £10.2bn of water company investment to drive down spills from storm overflows.
  • £764 million will be invested by SWW to reduce the use of storm overflows.

We expect this to deliver a 62% reduction in storm overflows spills compared to 2023-24


Storm Overflow EDM Data Portal

The 2024 data have been published in the Storm Overflow EDM Data Portal, alongside a summary of the statistics and the annual returns for each water company. This has been designed as a simple factual portal which presents EDM spill data geographically on a map of England.


The portal contains data for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.


The full dataset, summary tables and portal can be found at:


Event Duration Monitoring - Storm Overflows - Annual Returns (data.gov.uk)(External link)(External link)

Storm Overflow Spill Frequency (arcgis.com)(External link)


For more details on the figures visit our blog: What are the 2024 EDM Annual Returns? – Creating a better place(External link).



Update March 2025

We know that you are concerned about SWW’s proposed solutions to address the pollution incidents in Exmouth. Whilst as a regulator we cannot advise SWW on how to resolve non-compliance, we will carefully consider any permit variation requests they make as part of their engineering workExmouth beach in winter sunshines to ensure the environment is protected.

SWW have committed to replacing a further section of the sewer rising main leading to their sewage treatment works which is expected to start shortly and be completed in the coming months. It is hoped that this will provide a robust solution and prevent any further incidents with this sewer line. This will also coincide with increased pumping to reduce spill frequency at the location. We encourage you to keep an eye on SWW’s website to find out about the progress they are making.

Our officers continue to attend and investigate any incidents that take place. Please continue to report any pollution via our pollution hotline 0800 807060.


Water Quality Sampling News

We are introducing an extra sampling point to get more data on how the River Exe influences Exmouth.

The extra sampling point, at SY0014080372 near Beach Gardens, is solely for investigative purposes to improve our understanding of how the River Exe affects Exmouth bathing water. Additional monitoring will also take place at three locations along Littleham Stream. A scientist analysing bathing water samples in the Starcross laboratory

Data collected from the Beach Gardens sampling point and additional monitoring will not affect official bathing water classifications and is unrelated to South West Water’s work to repair the burst rising main.

The existing sampling point will remain the same and data collected between May and September – bathing water season – will help inform the beach’s annual classification which will be announced later this year.


The Environment Agency’s investigation:

Whilst we are taking into consideration all incidents and non-compliances that have taken place at Exmouth in 2023 and 2024, there will be circumstances (such as insufficient evidence) where we cannot pursue all non-compliances as part of our investigation.

We will do our best to answer requests for information. However, where those requests relate to the continuing investigation, there may be reasons that justify us withholding certain information.

Since the end of 2023, we now require all storm overflows to be fitted with event duration monitors.


This page is only updated during normal working hours and may not be kept up to date during an incident. Please follow our X Channel(External link) for incident updates.


Definitions:

Pollution risk forecast (PRF) and short-term pollution(External link)

Pollution risk forecasts are predictions that use rainfall or other factors to assess when there may or may not be a risk of reduced bathing water quality. We can’t make these forecasts for all bathing waters as not all are at risk from these issues.

Short-term pollution is pollution that has clear causes, can be predicted and is expected to affect the quality of a bathing water for less than 72 hours. We use pollution risk forecasting to let people know when this will happen.


Beautiful Cornish coast with turquoise sea and blue sky

Visit our new Water Hub
Find out about bathing waters, from how we test and classify them, to what a pollution risk forecast is. The Water Hub also explains the other work we do in the water environment, including how we regulate the water industry.


This is a pilot service. We acknowledge not everything is covered here yet, this is a new offering which will grow over the coming months.

(External link)An Ea staff member is testing the water for pollution(External link)

Exmouth water samples history(External link)
A record of Exmouth's water sampling results since 2021.

Map of England's bathing waters

Bathing water criteria(External link)
How do bathing waters become designated?

Ofwat Logo(External link)

South West Water's PR 19 final determinations(External link)
This Ofwat document sets out the outcomes for South West Water to deliver and the allowed revenue that South West Water can recover from its customers.

An EA staff member carries out water quality sampling on the River Exe

Water quality data archive(External link)
Download the dataset from our water quality sampling across England. This includes measurements from Exmouth Beach, Sandy Bay, River Exe and Littleham Stream.

A team of EA field officers stood on a beach

Our water industry regulation transformation programme
Find out about our current programme to transform the way we regulate the water industry across the country.
The water industry regulation transformation programme was launched in 2023. It sets out measures to transform the way we regulate the water industry to uncover non-compliance and drive better performance.

The London Walthamstow Wetlands from a drone perspective.

The price review
Find out more about the water industry price review 2024, for the 2025-2029 period, the water industry national environment programme (WINEP) and the seventh Asset Management Period (AMP).


Page last updated: 01 Apr 2025, 03:02 PM