The challenge & why we’re doing this
The South West’s beaches are nationally important — for tourism, local economies, community wellbeing, and nature. Yet understanding bathing water quality remains challenging.
Official classifications (e.g. “Excellent”, “Good”) are:
- Retrospective, based on historic sampling
- Seasonal, focused on the bathing season (May–September)
- Limited in resolution, often masking short-term pollution events
At the same time, water quality at beaches can change rapidly due to:
- Heavy rainfall and runoff
- Storm overflow discharges
- Tidal movements and estuarine dynamics
- Local infrastructure pressures
The result is a disconnect between official status and real-world conditions — making it difficult for:
- Visitors to make informed decisions about entering the water
- Local authorities and businesses to manage reputation and risk
- Regulators and partners to identify and address root causes
There is a clear need for real-time, integrated, and place-specific intelligence — linking what is happening now with the wider system that drives water quality.
What we’re doing
Through the Smart Biosphere, we are developing an integrated approach to monitoring, understanding and improving bathing water quality.
Building on our Croyde Bay and Westward Ho! proofs of concept, the approach combines five key elements:
Real-time data integration. We bring together multiple data streams into a single system, including:
- Environmental conditions (rainfall, tide, wind, temperature)
- Water quality indicators (e.g. E. coli, nutrients, turbidity, dissolved oxygen)
- Infrastructure activity (e.g. storm overflow discharges)
- Citizen science data
This creates a live, dynamic picture of pollution risk rather than relying solely on historic sampling.
Catchment-to-coast system understanding. We map and analyse the key pathways and stressors influencing bathing waters, including:
- Estuarine flows and tidal transport
- Sewer overflows and wastewater infrastructure
- Agricultural and urban runoff
- Upstream rivers and tributaries
This allows us to connect what is happening at the beach with what is driving it across the wider system.
Risk indicators and predictive insight. We identify the conditions that signal elevated pollution risk, such as:
- Heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours
- Recent storm overflow activity
- Strong ebb tides
- Elevated bacterial readings
Over time, this enables more predictive understanding of when and why water quality deteriorates.
Public dashboards and transparency. We are developing accessible, location-specific dashboards for bathing areas, providing:
- Real-time and recent water quality indicators
- Clear risk signals
- Context on drivers and pathways
- Links to longer-term trends
These dashboards are designed for the public, businesses, and stakeholders, making complex data clear and usable.
Long-term improvement and coordination. Beyond monitoring, the system supports:
- Better coordination between local authorities, water companies, regulators, and land managers
- Identification of priority interventions
- Alignment with catchment-scale water quality improvement efforts
- Development of investment cases for infrastructure and nature-based solutions
Expected outputs
This work will deliver:
- Real-time bathing water intelligence - integrated, continuously updated insight into water quality and pollution risk
- Place-based dashboards for key beaches - transparent, user-friendly tools for visitors, communities, and stakeholders
- Clear understanding of pollution pathways - linking beach conditions to upstream and infrastructure drivers
- Improved risk communication - helping people make informed decisions about when to enter the water
- Evidence for targeted intervention - supporting action by water companies, regulators, and land managers
- A scalable coastal model - an approach that can be applied to other bathing waters across the UK
Get involved
We are actively developing and refining this approach and are keen to collaborate.
If you are:
- A local authority, regulator, or coastal partnership
- A water company or infrastructure provider
- A business dependent on bathing water quality
- A community group or citizen science network
- Interested in applying this model to other coastal areas
We’d love to work with you: naturalcapital@devon.gov.uk
