Porthoustock
Porthoustock is a dog friendly beach located on the more sheltered eastern side of the Lizard peninsula a couple of miles from the village of St Keverne. Towards high tide the beach consists of a neat crescent of flat pebbles with quarry workings at either end. With cars parked along the back of the beach it possibly isn't what most people would describe as the archetypal fishing cove - but that's what it is. Pulled up on the beach are a collection of small fishing boats that work the plentiful waters here.
As the tide drops out it reveals an area of sand, the sort which is perfect for making sandcastles. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Porthoustock is the enormous concrete silo at the southern end of the beach. Now disused, this was used to store aggregate from the still working quarry. At the northern end of the beach is a quay used by the quarry to load aggregate onto boats. Porthoustock is a popular spot for diving as it is located close to the infamous Manacles reef and all the shipwrecks associated with it.
Overflow locations
The map below shows the locations of the storm overflows that have the potential to impact water quality at this bathing water.
The map shows whether or not a storm overflow is currently active, the time and duration of the last spill at that location, and our investment commitments that are specific to that overflow.
Porthoustock storm overflow map
Water quality sample results
The graphs below show the significant reduction in harmful bacteria in the Environment Agency’s (EA) water samples since the 1990s. E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci exist in all open water - they are found in human and animal poo, and get into the water via sewage spills, road drainage, agricultural livestock, or wildlife and birds. The EA uses the levels of these bacteria to decide whether to award this beach bathing water status.
2025-2030 investment programme
To help reduce the risk of environmental impact from our sewerage network, and to contribute towards improving bathing water quality at Porthoustock Beach, we have earmarked circa £900,000 of investment up to March 2025*.
We are planning to increase the amount of wastewater that can be treated at the St Keverne sewage treatment works as agreed with the Environment Agency and as part of the Water Industry National Environment Programme.
The 2025-2030 investment programme is currently being scoped out. If you’re a community group or part of a local network and would like to have your say see ‘Your Beach, Your Say, Our Investment’.
*Amounts earmarked for investment may change dependent on the final design of the optimal solution and costings provided by our supply chain.
4 year overflow spill information
The data shown in the table below is the reported annual total spill number for each overflow which has been identified by the EA for this bathing water.
The assignment of an overflow to the bathing water does not always mean an impact will occur, it can be dependent on a number of factors such as tidal state and weather conditions. Sometimes it has been allocated just for investigation purposes and has no impact at all.
All data collected goes through vigorous quality assurance processes before being included in the counts. Sometimes debris can trigger false spills to be recorded, resulting in potentially higher than actual spill numbers.
Number of spills
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Keverne sewage treatment works settled storm overflow | 61 | 26 | 51 | 37 |
The beach profiles were created in line with information provided by our partners, Environment Agency, RNLI, Keep Britain Tidy, MCS - Beach Guide and British Beaches.