Hope Cove stinks

[mainsail1]

Peacefully at anchor in Hope Cove, Devon last night.
At midnight I was woken by an overwhelming stench of raw sewage. It persisted for over an hour until a gentle breeze developed.
I thought the discharge of raw sewage by water companies was illegal. Am I wrong?
Today, like yesterday, hundreds of holiday makers will be swimming, paddle boarding and water skiing in that foul bay.

 

[38mess]

Peacefully at anchor in Hope Cove, Devon last night.
At midnight I was woken by an overwhelming stench of raw sewage. It persisted for over an hour until a gentle breeze developed.
I thought the discharge of raw sewage by water companies was illegal. Am I wrong?
Today, like yesterday, hundreds of holiday makers will be swimming, paddle boarding and water skiing in that foul bay.

Won't the tide take it away?

 

[RivalRedwing]

Won't the tide take it away?

and bring it back... there isn't a special magic place where the poo faries make raw sewage disappear. Along our coasts we are lucky that we have tides to help dilute and disperse.

 

[38mess]

and bring it back...

Not really

 

[HissyFit]

One theoretical reason for the privatisation of the water companies was the ability to raise investment in order to update and upgrade infrastructure, such as sewage treatment. Ever since then, the incidents of sewage overflow have not decreased, but have consistently got worse. Warning after warning have had no effect. It is high time that the Environment Agency seized the water companies responsible and surcharged their directors for all their bonuses.

 

[sarabande]

I am in contact with South West Water about discharges from another of their sewage treatment plants into my local river.


There is a sewage plant in Hope Cove. SWW at present are unable to say whether they have to record all discharges (!!!). The initial customer service person said that they are allowed to discharge some sewage into the sea, but the most likely reason is a rainfall overflow . Yet more !!!

The Case manager for Devon is supposed to be calling me back, but that was 37 minutes ago.

The matter is being raised with the Environment Agency 0800 807060.

If the OP has any other details, please add to the thread.

 

[sarabande]

Phone call back from a case manager.

They are investigating an automatic email from last night. The emergency alert has been passed to an engineer, who has to report back within two hours. If there has been a discharge, South West Water reports the matter to the Env Agency under their "Self Reporting Rules"

 

[Caraway]

Peacefully at anchor in Hope Cove, Devon last night.
At midnight I was woken by an overwhelming stench of raw sewage. It persisted for over an hour until a gentle breeze developed.
I thought the discharge of raw sewage by water companies was illegal. Am I wrong?
Today, like yesterday, hundreds of holiday makers will be swimming, paddle boarding and water skiing in that foul bay.

Sure it wasn't another boater dropping a floater?

 

[sarabande]

I have found an app for Android and IOS that reports all discharges.

Safer Seas & Rivers Service from Surfers Against Sewage

Safer Seas & Rivers Service • Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk)

 

[sarabande]

Feedback from South West Water

The case number is #10087330.


The SW assets (treatment plants) for Hope Cove and Salcombe were checked and all found to be working properly.

There is a known problem with the area at this time of the year, and SWW has had other complaints about sewage smell. The cause is from decaying seaweed, and stagnant mud on the beach.

Thus it seems likely that the OP was anchored down wind of an area of sand/mud/weed which in the process of decaying has generated a smell similar to sewage. The OP did say that the smell persisted till a gentle breeze developed.

 

[mainsail1]

Feedback from South West Water

The case number is #10087330.


The SW assets (treatment plants) for Hope Cove and Salcombe were checked and all found to be working properly.

There is a known problem with the area at this time of the year, and SWW has had other complaints about sewage smell. The cause is from decaying seaweed, and stagnant mud on the beach.

Thus it seems likely that the OP was anchored down wind of an area of sand/mud/weed which in the process of decaying has generated a smell similar to sewage. The OP did say that the smell persisted till a gentle breeze developed.

Thanks Sarabande. I note that they just say the sewage plants were working properly and do not categorically deny that there was a discharge. Having looked at the chart there appears to be a sewage outfall not far from where I anchored. I wonder if anyone knows whether this is still used.
The number of Tourists at this time of year is obviously huge and I can well believe that their treatment plants are overloaded due to lack of investment. What does a treatment plant do when overloaded? I suspect it has to automatically discharge the excess into the sea but someone more expert than I will know.

 

[Never Grumble]

Take a look at the Safer Seas app developed by Surfers Against Sewage. Mind I think it is fed by the alerts from the water companies so if South West Water dont fess up then you wont know until you see/smell it. As to can they discharge they do it all the time, the usual excuse being storm discharges.

The Safer Sea App says there are two sewage outfalls that might affect the quality in the Hope Cove area. Good luck, I swam in Chichester Harbour last summer and was sick for 4 days after. I recently read a press report which said in Chichester Harbour where there are 3 or 4 sewage outlets and one of these outlets alone in terms of hours pumped out for what equated to whole 26 days, what the others pumped out for I have no idea, anyone who makes excuses for these companies needs a kick up the backside.

 

[Blueboatman]

Southern water have a history of just paying the fines.
Where the money comes from to pay these fines AND pay the shareholders I can only surmise

Hope Cove could organise a protest like they did at Bexhill/Hastings recently ? Made the local telly too I believe
AND there’s a Radio 4 prog on the continued manifestation of floaters after privatisation funnily enough

Macquarie: The Tale of the River Bank - BBC Sounds

Do sommat , it all helps us boaters, builds Momentum ..

 

[longjohnsilver]

I’m planning on anchoring in Hope Cove within the next few days. I will report back if my sensitive snout picks up any bad whiffs.

 

[Daedelus]

Southern water have a history of just paying the fines.
Where the money comes from to pay these fines AND pay the shareholders I can only surmise

They find it cheaper to pay the fine rather than invest money to improve the sewage works.

 

[Mudisox]

Lots of decaying seaweed 3 weeks ago when I was there.

 

[Povremeni pomorac]

I don't know if this is helpful but, c 15 years ago, when we were last there (on land) one day there was a terrible smell and there was indeed raw sewage ouring out of a pipe onto the beach. Someone, genuinely helpfully, put a blackboard there to warn people. It was by the little row of cottages right near the tiny harbourmaster's office. There was a big manhole there then and I wondered if it was a malfunction of a small system for just the cottages, but the amount pouring out seemed too much. So I reckon it is real and not rotting seaweed. I've smelled a lot of that in my time. It was ironic really as there used to be a much-derided organisation called the "Tidy Britain Group" which offered resprts a yellow flag. This flag was flying at the same time! Double odd really, because from time to time, in the small sea caves at the south end of the cove, I found used syringes and needles on more than one occasion. I hope it's better now.

Mind you, better than the aptly named town of "Looe" where once, c 25 years ago I realised that I was in the sea surrounded by bog paper. I never went swimming there again.

 

[Blueboatman]

They find it cheaper to pay the fine rather than invest money to improve the sewage works.

Exactly !

I don’t think that polluters get quite such an easy ride in the USA through the EPA, though I am sure they would like to?.

To be fair , agricultural run off on an industrial scale must be just as worrying into fragile water systems .

We as sailors/articulate middle class /shareholders / parents of the next generation should all prob make a bit more NOISE ?

 

[Tomaret]

Take a look at the Safer Seas app developed by Surfers Against Sewage. Mind I think it is fed by the alerts from the water companies so if South West Water dont fess up then you wont know until you see/smell it. As to can they discharge they do it all the time, the usual excuse being storm discharges.

The Safer Sea App says there are two sewage outfalls that might affect the quality in the Hope Cove area. Good luck, I swam in Chichester Harbour last summer and was sick for 4 days after. I recently read a press report which said in Chichester Harbour where there are 3 or 4 sewage outlets and one of these outlets alone in terms of hours pumped out for what equated to whole 26 days, what the others pumped out for I have no idea, anyone who makes excuses for these companies needs a kick up the backside.

You weren't swimming - you were just going through the motions.

 

[mainsail1]

I’m planning on anchoring in Hope Cove within the next few days. I will report back if my sensitive snout picks up any bad whiffs.

So.........were there any smells? I suspect they knew that you were coming and had a few nights off