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← All spills

Lower Ferry pumping station, Kingswear

SBB00712
Overflow on the network feeding Dartmouth STW · Pumping-station / emergency overflow
Designated bathing water · Warfleet Creek, Dart Estuary
Showing history for 2021 · records go back to 2020
Not spilling

The monitor is reporting and shows no discharge.

Last spill ended
29 Sept, 21:39
Counted spills, 2021
71
102 discharge events
Hours spilled, 2021
121
Is the feed working?
Working
Last checked 20 min ago · we poll SWW hourly
48h agonow
48/48 hourly readings received
Dry spills, 2021
6
6 in 2021 · 26 since 2020
How a dry spill is decided →
Spilled before its STW, 2021
102
102 in 2021 · 532 since 2020
What this means →
Why this one spills

This looks like a fault, not a storm.

This overflow has discharged in dry weather 26 times since 2020 — spills with no rainfall to excuse them. Its treatment works is not itself over capacity, so a catchment-wide explanation does not hold. Applied to this record, the two-stage lawfulness test is hard to pass: a recurring dry-weather discharge is not an exceptional circumstance, and where the remedy is routine maintenance the disproportionate-cost exception is hard to run.

How this verdict is reached →

The same works has emergency overflows too

All emergency overflows →

8 pumping-station emergency overflows feed Dartmouth STW works — raw-sewage relief outlets that should fire only when a pump fails. They are not in this page's feed; between them they have discharged about 2,903 recorded hours.

Warfleet No2 pumping station, Dartmouth2,514h totalworst year 2,514h
South Town, Dartmouth225h totalworst year 128h
Warfleet Creek pumping station, Dartmouth88h totalworst year 78h
Darthaven Marina pumping station, Kingswear54h totalworst year 28h
Dartmouth STW20h totalworst year 18h
Coles Court pumping station, Dartmouth1.4h totalworst year 1.4h
Nelson Road pumping station, Dartmouth0.63h totalworst year 0.45h
Mayors Avenue pumping station, Dartmouth0.28h totalworst year 0.20h

Its permit

What the environmental permit sets for this overflow — and where the public record is silent, which is itself the finding.

Pass-forward flow
Not published
Spill frequency limit
None set
Monitoring tier
Not published
Assessment trigger
Crossed — over 10 spills/year

Is anyone acting on this?

Flagged problems
High spill frequency532 discharge events since 2020Dry spilling26 dry spills since 2020Spills before its works532 times since 2020
Measures on record
  • Reduction of spills to meet EnvAct_IMP drivers
    Improvementdue 2030
Verdict
Improvement under way

A physical improvement is committed against this overflow.

What you can do about this one

OPEN NOW

Ask for the data

Under the Environmental Information Regulations, Lower Ferry pumping station, Kingswear's telemetry, the works' flow-to-full-treatment setting, and any spill investigations are emissions information — they cannot be withheld on commercial-confidentiality grounds. A written request is the fastest lever.

BY 30 APR 2027

Get it into the next programme

Investigations that will shape the 2030–35 environment programme must complete by this date. Putting this overflow on the record now — to South West Water and the Environment Agency — is what gets it considered.

BY 1 NOV 2027

Put it in the drainage plan

South West Water's draft Drainage & Wastewater Management Plan goes to a twelve-week consultation. A named overflow with evidence behind it is far harder to leave out.

The record since 2020

26 dry spills and 532 pre-STW spills since 2020. Pick a year to see its events below.

Count by

2021: 71 spills · 102 discharge events

692020712021702022422023522024442025132026

Counted spills — the EA's 12/24-hour block method, the basis of the 10-a-year cap. Published annual return where available, computed the same way for the current year. Two ways to count →

Dry spills, every year

26 dry spills since 2020 · showing up to 12

9 Dec, 07:05
2h 3m
0.0
Not spilling
→
11 Sept, 19:23
1h 16m
0.0
Not spilling
→
14 Aug, 21:15
1h 46m
0.1
Not spilling
→
14 Aug, 19:52
26m
0.1
Not spilling
→
13 Aug, 20:27
1h 52m
0.0
Not spilling
→
13 Aug, 19:17
26m
0.0
Not spilling
→
12 Aug, 19:40
30m
0.0
Not spilling
→
21 Apr, 10:15
6h 10m
0.0
Not spilling
→
18 Apr, 19:59
2h 0m
0.0
Not spilling
→
2 Apr, 20:30
1h 53m
0.0
Not spilling
→
2 Apr, 08:09
5h 0m
0.0
Not spilling
→
1 Apr, 19:28
23m
0.0
Not spilling
→

Spilled before its works

532 events since 2020 · started while Dartmouth STW stayed shut

29 Sept, 20:11
1h 29m
8.5
Stayed shut
→
29 Aug, 04:56
1h 15m
19.0
Stayed shut
→
1 Jun, 22:42
16m
26.4
Stayed shut
→
27 Feb, 00:19
1h 11m
22.1
Stayed shut
→
18 Feb, 11:29
42m
21.0
Stayed shut
→
6 Feb, 08:55
24m
19.0
Stayed shut
→
5 Feb, 08:27
26m
19.0
Stayed shut
→
5 Feb, 07:56
18m
19.0
Stayed shut
→
26 Jan, 19:34
4h 2m
42.4
Stayed shut
→
24 Jan, 09:34
1h 48m
19.7
Stayed shut
→
23 Jan, 21:24
1h 51m
11.1
Stayed shut
→
21 Jan, 09:08
1h 6m
20.9
Stayed shut
→

Spills by month, 2021

Dry Wet weather
11Jan
6Feb
5Mar
3Apr
19May
15Jun
11Jul
5Aug
5Sep
16Oct
Nov
6Dec

Every spill in 2021, most recent first

Each event checked against the nearest rain gauge and against the treatment works’ own overflow. Open any row for its evidence dossier.

31 Dec, 04:35
1h 28m
10.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
25 Dec, 14:05
18m
21.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
25 Dec, 12:56
25m
21.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
7 Dec, 08:24
2h 45m
9.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
6 Dec, 09:58
28m
5.9 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
4 Dec, 02:24
16m
6.1 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
30 Oct, 03:22
21m
13.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
28 Oct, 15:07
2h 33m
41.7 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
20 Oct, 19:40
51m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
20 Oct, 16:34
1h 15m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
19 Oct, 22:24
28m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
19 Oct, 21:25
44m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
19 Oct, 18:19
42m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
19 Oct, 16:53
22m
33.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
18 Oct, 11:46
1h 14m
16.9 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
18 Oct, 11:21
18m
16.9 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
4 Oct, 22:49
22m
30.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
4 Oct, 21:12
1h 12m
30.4 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Oct, 13:58
1h 6m
24.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Oct, 11:19
2h 6m
24.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Oct, 09:50
23m
24.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Oct, 09:15
18m
24.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
27 Sept, 03:20
23m
5.9 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
9 Sept, 20:26
38m
11.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
9 Sept, 08:46
48m
11.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
9 Sept, 08:16
19m
11.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
8 Sept, 09:33
29m
11.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
8 Aug, 22:06
17m
7.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
8 Aug, 21:38
16m
7.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
7 Aug, 10:30
40m
3.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
1 Aug, 16:34
20m
14.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
1 Aug, 15:35
21m
14.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
29 Jul, 22:31
28m
5.8 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
29 Jul, 21:43
45m
5.8 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
27 Jul, 05:10
27m
18.1 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
27 Jul, 03:29
31m
18.1 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
24 Jul, 00:19
56m
8.1 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
11 Jul, 23:58
44m
16.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
11 Jul, 14:52
27m
16.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
11 Jul, 13:31
56m
16.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
11 Jul, 12:21
19m
16.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
10 Jul, 03:26
54m
9.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
5 Jul, 17:51
2h 16m
15.6 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
28 Jun, 05:41
38m
21.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
28 Jun, 04:19
52m
21.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
27 Jun, 13:44
1h 9m
21.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
21 Jun, 08:57
36m
7.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
21 Jun, 07:36
39m
7.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
20 Jun, 00:58
26m
7.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
7 Jun, 03:32
2h 13m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
6 Jun, 15:31
1h 46m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
6 Jun, 02:51
1h 51m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
5 Jun, 15:20
47m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
5 Jun, 02:14
1h 54m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
4 Jun, 01:24
1h 1m
0.0 mm
Dry spill
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Jun, 23:28
1h 56m
2.8 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Jun, 12:24
24m
2.8 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
2 Jun, 07:32
30m
2.8 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
25 May, 15:42
3h 0m
7.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
23 May, 17:05
1h 21m
17.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
23 May, 16:20
37m
17.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
23 May, 15:23
45m
17.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
21 May, 10:21
19m
5.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
20 May, 09:48
5h 47m
5.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
17 May, 15:33
21m
5.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
16 May, 09:20
50m
6.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
16 May, 07:44
22m
6.2 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
15 May, 01:42
1h 4m
11.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
14 May, 23:01
31m
11.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
13 May, 04:39
5h 0m
58.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
12 May, 20:37
2h 17m
58.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
12 May, 16:10
2h 20m
58.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
12 May, 14:09
1h 56m
58.3 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
10 May, 05:53
2h 37m
0.7 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
9 May, 16:29
3h 28m
5.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
8 May, 02:02
3h 44m
27.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
8 May, 00:42
51m
27.5 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
29 Apr, 08:35
17m
1.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
28 Apr, 19:48
1h 11m
1.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→
28 Apr, 07:07
1h 52m
1.0 mm
Wet weather
Not spilling — flagged before STW
→

Showing the last 80 events of 102 in 2021.

44 brief spills under 15 minutes in 2021

Excluded from the counts, classification and flags above — too short to weigh against rainfall, and often an operational blip rather than a genuine discharge. Listed here for completeness. How we know.

25 Dec, 13:51 · 1m24 Dec, 14:01 · 11m7 Dec, 11:21 · 10m20 Oct, 19:10 · 2m20 Oct, 18:21 · 3m20 Oct, 18:16 · 3m20 Oct, 18:14 · 1m20 Oct, 18:05 · 8m19 Oct, 21:05 · 9m4 Oct, 11:07 · 9m2 Oct, 09:34 · 1m30 Sept, 14:59 · 9m28 Sept, 14:18 · 14m9 Sept, 21:22 · 1m9 Sept, 07:07 · 8m1 Aug, 15:04 · 9m27 Jul, 04:53 · 1m27 Jul, 04:47 · 2m11 Jul, 23:54 · 2m11 Jul, 22:54 · 13m28 Jun, 05:16 · 14m19 Jun, 21:58 · 9m23 May, 16:58 · 1m13 May, 15:02 · 12m13 May, 14:15 · 14m13 May, 04:09 · 14m13 May, 03:37 · 10m13 May, 02:22 · 9m12 May, 19:32 · 2m11 May, 13:46 · 7m12 Mar, 20:37 · 11m12 Mar, 14:21 · 9m10 Mar, 10:49 · 5m10 Mar, 08:15 · 13m17 Feb, 14:32 · 9m2 Feb, 00:13 · 1m31 Jan, 16:18 · 1m31 Jan, 16:00 · 4m29 Jan, 23:04 · 11m29 Jan, 22:52 · 8m+4 more