Seawater quality testing facility to open at leisure centre

A new facility that will allow swimmers to test the quality of seawater will open at a leisure centre this summer.

The facility, which will be located at Splashpoint Leisure Centre in Worthing, will support swimming groups in testing water quality at the town’s three designated bathing sites.

The citizen science lab is the result of a partnership between Southern Water and South Downs Leisure, and will be funded by Southern Water.

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said: “This initiative complements ongoing monitoring by the Environment Agency and will help build a clearer picture of water quality along our seafront.

“Keeping our coastal waters clean is a collective effort – and citizen science has a vital role to play in identifying and tackling the different sources of pollution.

“A huge thank you to everyone involved in helping protect and improve our coastline.”

Members of the Muscle Beach Swimming Club currently collect samples at Worthing Beach House.

Previously, these samples had to be sent to the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove for analysis, however the new equipment will allow this to be done locally.

Other swimming groups from Worthing and Goring will also be taught how to use the equipment as part of the programme.

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Water quality at Worthing Beach House, near Beach House Grounds, is currently graded ‘poor’ – the worst rating on the scale.

Two other areas, Goring Beach and the site near Heene Road, were upgraded from ‘sufficient’ to ‘good’, according to the latest ratings released by the Environment Agency last November.

The council recently installed signs along the seafront that allow members of the public to receive the latest updates on water quality by scanning a QR code.

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