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Freedom251 › Blog › bathing water

What Wales’s sewage spill monitoring data does and doesn’t tell you

By Freedom251 Team · · 7 min read

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Wales’s “sewage spill” figures are mainly records from Event Duration Monitors (EDMs) on storm overflows. They show how often a monitored overflow operated and how long each recorded event lasted. They do not, on their own, tell you the volume released, the concentration of bacteria, whether a particular beach is unsafe when you arrive, or whether an individual discharge broke its permit.

For a swimming decision, use the current bathing-water advice and pollution information for the specific site. Treat an annual spill count as evidence about overflow operation and regulatory performance—not as a real-time water-quality test.

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What Wales’s storm-overflow data actually records

Many Welsh sewer networks are combined sewers: the same pipes carry wastewater from homes and businesses and rainwater. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) estimates that about 60% of Welsh housing is connected to combined sewers. During heavy or prolonged rain, the amount entering the network can exceed the capacity of pipes and treatment works.

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Storm overflows are designed as relief points. When the system is overwhelmed, an overflow can discharge diluted wastewater and rainwater to prevent sewage backing up into buildings or onto streets. Permits set the conditions under which discharges are allowed and can require screening. An overflow can also operate in dry weather, for example when a blockage causes wastewater to back up; that observation should be reported, but an alert alone does not establish a permit breach.

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An EDM detects the start and end of a discharge and creates an event record. NRW uses those records to identify overflows that operate frequently or for extended periods and to help set regulatory priorities. NRW describes the purpose plainly: “EDM data helps us identify storm overflows that are discharging too often or for extended periods.”

Read the regulator’s overview of the system in NRW’s Storm Overflows explainer.

What the latest annual figures show

NRW’s 2024 storm overflow spill data report, published in 2025, compares returns for 2022, 2023 and 2024. It covers Welsh overflows submitted by Dŵr Cymru and Hafren Dyfrdwy; Dŵr Cymru’s English overflows are excluded.

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The company averages below describe only overflows with spill data. They are not measurements for every site and do not directly measure environmental harm.

Company (2024 Welsh data) Average spills per overflow with spill data Average duration per monitored spill event EDM commissioned EDM operating at least 90% of the time
Dŵr Cymru 48.9 8.2 hours 99.8% of listed storm overflows 86.5%
Hafren Dyfrdwy 36.2 9.4 hours 100% of listed storm overflows 80.0%

“Commissioned” means the monitor had been installed and brought into service. The 90% figure is an operational-time measure: it indicates how much of the year the monitor was functioning, not how often the overflow discharged.

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Why Dŵr Cymru’s listed-overflow count rose

The number of Dŵr Cymru overflows listed in the returns increased from 1,946 in 2022 to 2,064 in 2024. NRW says permit changes were a main reason, and some discharges appeared twice in the 2024 return under the permit in force for that period. The increase should therefore not be presented as a simple increase in the number of physical overflow sites.

The three-year Dŵr Cymru averages

Year Average spills per overflow Average monitored-event duration
2022 40.9 7.1 hours
2023 55.3 8.6 hours
2024 48.9 8.2 hours

These are summary averages across changing datasets. Permit and asset classifications, missing records, monitor uptime and return corrections all affect comparisons, so the figures cannot by themselves establish a simple environmental trend or a single cause for year-to-year movement.

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How spills were distributed across Wales in 2024

NRW’s combined permitted-overflow population gives a different perspective from company averages. It shows how many sites fell into each recorded-spill band during 2024.

Recorded spills in 2024 Share of permitted overflows Number of overflows
Zero 7% 156
1–9 19% 409
10–39 28% 587
40–99 30% 639
100–299 15% 308
More than 300 Less than 1% 2
No data 1% 19

A band such as “40–99” counts events; it does not say how many litres were discharged or whether all those events had the same composition. A site with fewer, longer events is not directly comparable with one recording more, shorter events without examining the underlying records.

What a spill count cannot tell you

It is not a discharge-volume measurement

EDM summaries count events and record their duration. They do not directly state the volume released. Two events lasting the same number of hours could involve very different flows, depending on rainfall, sewer levels, pump operation and the receiving system. Do not convert event-hours into litres unless a separate, cited flow measurement or calculation method is available.

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It is not a water-quality sample

An EDM activation does not test for E. coli, intestinal enterococci, chemicals or other indicators used to assess bathing water. It cannot establish the condition of a particular beach, river reach or estuary at the moment you visit. A spill alert is evidence that an overflow operated, not a laboratory result from the water where you plan to swim.

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It does not prove ecological harm or an unlawful discharge

Whether a discharge was permitted depends on the conditions in the site’s permit and the circumstances in its catchment. NRW says rainfall intensity and duration in the individual catchment matter; total annual rainfall alone does not decide whether a spill was legitimate. A record can prompt investigation without proving that every event harmed wildlife or breached a legal condition.

It is not a perfect continuous record

Monitors can be installed but fail to meet operational-time targets. Data can be missing, and annual returns can require correction. For the 2024 return, NRW identified validation issues in Dŵr Cymru’s submission, accepted a corrected resubmission and said data-quality and validation practices must improve. The regulator also expects both companies to increase the share of monitors meeting the 90% operational target.

How to answer the practical question: is the water safe today?

Annual spill statistics are the wrong tool for a same-day swimming decision. Use the bathing-water information for the exact site and date.

What NRW’s bathing-water programme measures

NRW samples 112 designated bathing-water sites from 15 May through 30 September. The tests include E. coli and intestinal enterococci. Those samples provide measured water-quality results, unlike an EDM event record.

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What pollution-risk forecasts mean

NRW operates pollution-risk forecasts at 16 designated sites; Swansea Bay has a separate model, according to NRW’s 2025 explanation. A forecast means the chance of temporarily affected water quality is higher. It does not mean that a pollution incident has occurred. NRW states: “It’s important to note however, that these forecasts do not mean there has been a pollution incident, for example, a sewage spill.”

Read the explanation of forecasts and bathing-water advice in NRW’s 30 July 2025 bathing-water guidance.

A sensible check before entering the water

  1. Identify the designated bathing-water site, not just the nearest town or beach.
  2. Check the current NRW bathing-water information and any pollution-risk advice for that site.
  3. Check the water company’s near-real-time storm-overflow alert where one is provided for a designated bathing water.
  4. Follow any temporary warning or advice displayed at the site.
  5. Remember that an annual count, a forecast and a spill alert answer different questions; none substitutes for the site’s current advice and measured results.
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What to do if you see a suspected dry-weather discharge

If an overflow appears to be operating in dry weather, or you see suspected pollution, report it to NRW rather than trying to decide from the alert whether a permit condition was broken. NRW’s 24-hour incident hotline is 0300 065 3000; reports can also be made online through its pollution-reporting service.

Useful details include the location, time, weather conditions, visible discoloration or debris, odour, dead fish or other observations, and photographs taken safely from a public place. Do not approach fast-flowing water, enter a restricted area or put yourself at risk to obtain evidence.

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The regulator’s guidance on storm overflows and reporting is available through its storm-overflow explainer.

How to compare companies or years without misleading yourself

A fair comparison keeps the measure, denominator, geography and reporting period the same. Before drawing a conclusion, check:

  • Whether the figure is average events per overflow with spill data, rather than an average across all listed assets.
  • Whether duration means hours per monitored event, not total annual hours.
  • How many overflows supplied usable spill data.
  • The share of monitors commissioned and the share operating at least 90% of the time.
  • Whether the report covers the same year and Welsh geography. The 2024 report excludes Dŵr Cymru’s English overflows.
  • Whether permits, asset classifications or listed sites changed.
  • Whether the return was corrected or has identified validation problems.
  • Whether you are comparing an operational measure with a water-quality or pollution-incident measure; they are not interchangeable.

Company-level averages should not be turned into claims about every individual overflow. A high average can be driven by a subset of sites, while a low average does not guarantee that a particular bathing location is clear.

How spill monitoring fits into wider regulation

Water companies submit EDM data annually and NRW uses it in performance reporting. In an October 2025 announcement, NRW said its 2024 performance assessment kept Dŵr Cymru at two stars for the third consecutive year. It reported 155 pollution incidents across sewerage and water-supply assets in 2024, including six serious incidents, and 74% incident self-reporting against an 80% target.

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Those are broader pollution and company-performance statistics, not counts of EDM overflow events. They should not be added to, substituted for or presented as the storm-overflow totals in the tables above.

The same 2025 announcement said new Environmental Performance Assessment metrics would apply from 2026 and that water companies must have Pollution Incident Reduction Plans by April 2026. The announcement described these as forthcoming measures at that time; the release itself does not establish their implementation status today. NRW’s announcement is at NRW strengthens regulation of water companies as annual performance reports published.

The bottom line for readers

Storm-overflow monitoring is valuable because it shows where discharges happen frequently or last a long time and gives NRW a basis for regulatory attention. Its limits are equally important: event counts and durations are not flow volumes, bacteria results, beach-quality measurements or automatic proof of illegal pollution.

Use the annual data to understand system performance and ask informed questions about a catchment. Use current site-specific bathing-water information to decide whether to swim, and report suspected dry-weather pollution to NRW rather than treating an alert as a legal verdict.

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For the technical scope and caveats around river and receiving-water evidence, see NRW’s river-water-quality questions and answers.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

bathing waterNatural Resources Walessewage spillsstorm overflowsWaleswater quality

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