Seaton Beach - open sewer again

[akarjl2]

Looks like there's been some kind of failing within the sewage "filtration" system over last few days. Just been along Seaton beach and the tide line from behind the water works almost to North Gare is strewn with hundred if not thousands of baby wipes and sanitary towels.

Before the retarded chip in .....no it hasn't been pumped overboard from some tanker , not unless they are loading and discharging baby wipes in liquid form.

Does anyone monitor discharges from the various system, report failures and prosecute where necessary ?

[Johnny Bongo]

The Environmental Agency deal with issues like this, I believe. It could be due to the huge amount of rain that we've had recently, which could have overflowed tanks or bunds, etc.  Maybe try giving Northumbrian water, or whichever company is responsible for sewage. 

[Inspector Knacker]

You're right Johnny, the excessive rain will lead to scenarios like this. Best keep a check on it though, just to ensure it doesn't become a regular occurrence and it is only a one off.

[akarjl2]

Looks like a shoal of Tampon fish has been feeding in Tees Bay over last few days.....yesterday seaton beach towards north Gare like an open sewer once again. God knows what it will be like after this rain.....filtration system obviously not fit for purpose.

[eddy]

So I do this for my day job working in Civil engineering, well not dump crap in the sea!

Unfortunately the treatment plants only have enough capacity for a certain volume of water flow, say 100l per second.  When it totally rinses it down the flow could be double that and the whole network will back up, like trying to fit a large thing through a small hole.  As most of the sewers in the town are combined foul and surface water it will either come bubbling out of the manholes in the street, or get dumped in the sea via a (usually closed) by pass culvert.

If you want it to stop happening the problem isnt really at the treatment works end, you could build a massive one with sufficient capacity for summer storms however it would cost many millions and sit unused for 95% of the year.  People would probably moan about how much of a waste of money it was if that was the case I imagine.

The root cause of the problem is everyone in the town who lives on a road / street that wasnt built in the last 10-15 years.  Take the houses on Warrior Park, they went up the late 1980s on what was once fields.  When it rained previously the water went to ground, now it hits peoples roofs and roads and gets fed into the sewer and (ultimately) into the treatment plant.  This surface water run off doesnt need to be there as its not that dirty, but it was the cheapest / easiest solution.  Weirdly, the much derived and dreaded new build developments in the town are compelled by planning law to hold these surface water flows back in ponds or below ground storage tanks, only to discharge to the sewer at a rate comparable to that when it was all fields, mostly to stop further overwhelming the treatment plant!

If you want to fix the brown and white trout on the beach you need to retrospectively go remodel the whole drainage network of the town, which will cost many many many millions

Other anecdote, I used to beach life guard at seaton, the water quality got tested weekly and compared against all the other public beaches in the UK.  Seaton was no cleaner or dirtier than other beaches, even the fancy ones down south.  Its a bit of a myth the water is always filthy, its brown because of the sand (you dont seriously thing we can pump enough poo into the sea to turn the whole thing brown!!).  The same storm drains open in Bornemouth and Newquay when the network becomes overwhelmed with the same impact !

[akarjl2]

An interesting read and I take your point regarding new developments etc.

Regarding

  Its a bit of a myth the water is always filthy, its brown because of the sand (you dont seriously thing we can pump enough poo into the sea to turn the whole thing brown!!).  The same storm drains open in Bornemouth and Newquay when the network becomes overwhelmed with the same impact !

As a master mariner having spent my life at sea I have some experience of water colour around the world and what causes it......

The issue I reported / commented upon was used TAMPONS AND SANITARY PADS strewn along the beach......

If you want to fix the brown and white trout on the beach you need to retrospectively go remodel the whole drainage network of the town, which will cost many many many millions

Again you appear to have the relevant knowledge but surely there is legislation in place to prohibit the discharge of used tampons etc into the sea irrespective of the circumstances?

If not perhaps it is something our illustrious cardboard cutout MP could latch onto?

If I discharged sewage of this nature into the sea from a ship I was master of I would be persecuted and probably loose my certificate. Double standards......

[eddy]

I feel the issue with tampons etc is probably due to people flushing them down the toilets, there isnt really any other way they can get into the system.  Once its in the combined sewer they normally get filtered at the works (I had the pleasure of a field trip at uni around a sewage works, was a wild time let me assure you!).  When the flows get too high in the network the whole thing gets diverted to sea, sanitary products and all.  I dont think there is a way to filter during storm flows (see my previous note) so thats why they go to sea.  They are notoriously none biodegradable in nature and have the potential to persist pretty much still intact in the water for a very long time.  If people werent so bloody disgusting and didnt flush them down the loo there probably wouldnt be any residual evidence.  This is a massive problem for the sewer companies but people seem to be that stupid !

There are agreements in law that allow Northumbrian Water to release "storm water overflow".  The thinking, with the poo etc, is that so much water goes through the system its likely to dilute it down, which is sort of true.  We did always see the water quality drop off after storms though when I was on the beach, but it normally recovered to previous levels within a few days.  Sadly, sanitary products are unaffected by either.  This isnt an ideal situation, but the issue is massive and unlikely to be resolved easily.  Its worth noting I a massively generalising on some points, there may be potential to increase capacity at the works and it may be something that (rightly) deserves political pressure.  Just because it happens doesnt make it right !   

I will differ to your knowledge re-sea colour, but I stand by the comment the water off Hartlepool is no better or worse than most of the rest of the UK.