Chichester Harbour Conservancy, in conjunction with Chichester District Council monitor the quality of the water within the Chichester Harbour. Samples from 12 locations in the harbour are collected and tested twice a month during the summer months and monthly throughout the winter.
Although there are no regulatory standards for this area of water, the EU Bathing Water Standards are used as a guide. Chichester Harbour is not a designated bathing water site, however the test results can be viewed as an indicator of potential pollution levels at the time of testing.
Historical results are available on the Chichester District Council website.
Current water sampling results 30.10.2023
The recent heavy rainfall has had an effect on the water quality in Chichester Harbour. Chichester Harbour Conservancy, in conjunction with Chichester District Council regularly monitors levels of e-coli and intestinal enterococci at 12 sites across the harbour.
The levels are compared with EU Bathing Water Standards. Our latest test results, from samples taken on 30 October showed high levels of both bacteria, exceeding EU bathing standard levels.
| _ | Sample Date: 30th October 2023 | |||
| Sample Site | Time | E.Coli (/100ml) | Enterococci (/100ml) | Compliant with minimum requirements of the EU BWD? (E.Coli ≤500cfu and Intestinal Enterococci ≤185cfu) |
| Nutbourne C | 14.55 | 270 | 40 | YES |
| Cobnor Dinghy Park Slipway | 14.45 | 1200 | 370 | NO |
| Bosham Quay Quayside | 14.55 | 3300 | 1200 | NO |
| Dell Quay Quayside | 14.10 | 12000 | 1900 | NO |
| Northney Beacon | 14.17 | 240 | 50 | YES |
| Furzefield Creek Ent | 15.15 | 320 | 70 | YES |
| North of Dell Quay Mid-channel, near WWTW discharge point | 14.00 | 780 | 940 | NO |
| CM Slipway | 14.20 | 610 | 140 | NO |
| Deep End Mid-channel near Cobnor Point | 15.05 | 900 | 220 | NO |
| Emsworth Jetty | 14.03 | 830 | 490 | NO |
| East Head Mid-channel | 14.38 | 400 | 100 | YES |
| CM Beacon | 14.25 | 560 | 140 | NO |
| Time of nearest High Tide | Wind Speed | Wind Direction | Weather | Cloud Cover |
| 11.59 | f4-5 | SW | Showers | Cloudy |