A new water-testing facility in Worthing will give local swimming groups a hands-on role in monitoring the quality of the town’s seawater.

Worthing Borough Council, Southern Water and South Downs Leisure joined forces to establish the facility at Splashpoint Leisure Centre, enabling community groups to analyse seawater samples collected from designated bathing waters.

The year-round, community-led sampling will complement the Environment Agency’s ongoing seasonal monitoring, helping to build a clearer picture of water quality along the town’s coastline and across different conditions.

In 2024, Worthing welcomed the designation of two additional areas as bathing waters – Worthing Beach House and Goring Beach – following successful applications by the council and community. This brought the total number of bathing sites in Worthing to three, alongside the existing central site at Heene Road.

Planet Ocean representative preparing a seawater sample for analysis. Photo: Worthing Borough Council

placeholder image — Planet Ocean representative preparing a seawater sample for analysis. Photo: Worthing Borough Council

Goring Beach and Heene Road’s water quality are both categorised by the Environment Agency as ‘good’, while Worthing Beach House is currently rated as ‘poor’. Results for this year’s bathing season are expected before the end of the year.

The desire from sea swimmers and the council for increased testing of Worthing’s coastal waters – especially at Worthing Beach House – saw Southern Water fund the technical equipment needed for the new initiative, which will provide additional data to help build a better understanding of water quality and identify potential sources of pollution.

Councillor Martin McCabe, Worthing’s cabinet member for environment, said: “Firstly, I want to thank my predecessor, Councillor Vicki Wells, whose hard work made this possible.

"We’re grateful to Vicki for securing funding with Southern Water and working with our brilliant volunteers and MPs to get this up and running. “Giving local swimming groups the opportunity to test and monitor seawater in Worthing means we can build a better understanding of water qu a lity along our coastline, while supporting the important work already carried out by the Environment Agency.

Sea swimmers pictured with representatives of Southern Water, Worthing Borough Council and Planet Ocean outside Splashpoint Leisure Centre. Photo: Worthing Borough Council

“We want Worthing to have the coastal water quality it deserves, and I’m delighted to see the community playing such an active role in helping achieve this.”

Local swimming groups Muscle Beach Swimming Club, Worthing Bluetits and WorFolk have been involved in learning how to use the equipment, which was also used to test the quality of the River Seine in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Mark Smith of Muscle Beach Swimming Club said: “We are very pleased that the combined efforts of so many organisations has resulted in the launch of a citizen science testing programme to monitor water quality in Worthing. For the three groups involved that swim throughout the year, it’s an important step in helping build a picture of the local bathing water.”

The council said discussions are ongoing with academic partners to explore how the programme's growing dataset can support wider research and analysis. As testing becomes more established, this information can help build a stronger evidence base for understanding local water quality, according to the authority.

Elsa Hegarty, Southern Water's project manager for community and partnerships, said: “We're delighted to be working with local volunteers and community groups in Worthing through the citizen science programme.

“It's encouraging to see such enthusiasm for the initiative already, and we look forward to working together to better understand the factors affecting local water quality, while supporting our shared ambition to better the condition and classification of several popular bathing water locations.

“We're excited to see the programme develop over the coming months and to continue building strong partnerships with the local community.”

The partners would like to thank Councillor Vicki Wells, the council’s former cabinet member for environment, for her role in bringing the scheme to Worthing.

Keeping the town’s coastal waters clean is a collective responsibility, and community-led testing and citizen science can play an important role in helping to identify potential sources of pollution and support wider efforts to tackle them.

The partnership hopes that improvements made across the area – including the resolution of misconnections, where household wastewater can enter the sea – will be reflected in this year’s bathing water classifications.

To find out more about seawater quality in Worthing, visit: www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/environmental-health/pollution/water-quality/bathing-water-seawater/.