Taunton Bathing Water Quality: Quiz Experts
Fancied a dip in the River Tone but unsure about its water quality? Come and ask your questions and share any concerns about the French Weir Park bathing water.
Experts from the Environment Agency, Wessex Water, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Friends of French Weir Park will be ready to answer questions about the River Tone bathing water at the COACH Community Hub in French Weir Park on Saturday 21 June 2025 from 10am to 1pm.
These are just a few representatives of the steering group formed to improve bathing water quality at this site, which was officially designated in 2024.
Being designated means regular and consistent water samples are taken for analysis at set times of the year to check the levels of bacteria like E. Coli and intestinal enterococci. However, being ‘designated’ doesn’t automatically mean water meets public hygiene standards for activities like swimming – a problem the new group is tackling.
Jim Flory of the Environment Agency said:
There are strict standards on what goes into rivers to protect wildlife and the natural ecology of our rivers. But the standards to protect human health are higher.
A lot of investigation will be needed to uncover what sources of pollution feed into the River Tone. The public can help speed that up by eliminating the most obvious sources like picking up dog poo or looking after their septic tanks. This will free up people to focus on more serious issues.
Results of all samples taken during the current round of monitoring will be available online at Swimfo to help inform public choice before taking a dip, Environment Agency officers will patrol the surrounding area, looking for obvious sources of pollution entering the watercourse as well as inspecting water company pipes and other types of equipment that discharges water into the river.
Background
450 bathing waters in England were sampled last year and classified as either Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. These classifications and information about water quality will be displayed at each bathing water and on bathing water profiles available to access on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website.
The Environment Agency took 7,420 samples during the 2024 bathing season. The Environment Agency takes up to 20 water samples at each of England’s designated bathing waters during the season.
Our standards for bathing waters come from guidelines produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and are science based. They have been adopted by many countries through the EU Bathing Water Directive, which England’s Bathing Water Regulations are based on.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/quiz-the-water-experts-about-tauntons-bathing-water-quality