Is the sea water quality good in Somerset?

Somerset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 71/100 (2 of 6 rated sites Excellent, 4 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 71 reflects a combination of current classification (weighted 60%) and multi-season consistency across all assessed seasons, up to six from 2019–2025 (weighted 40%). This is an above-average score.

What does the Gera Bathing Water Score mean?

The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.

How are Somerset bathing waters classified?

The Environment Agency classifies each designated bathing water under the Revised Bathing Water Directive (rBWD): Excellent, Good, Sufficient, or Poor, based on 4 seasons of E. coli and intestinal enterococci samples. Somerset has 8 designated site(s). Annual classifications are published on the EA's Bathing Water Quality platform.

When is the bathing season?

The official bathing season in England runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. The EA monitors water quality weekly during the season. Outside the season, monitoring is not required and advisories may not be current.

GeraHome / Bathing Water Quality / Somerset

Somerset — Bathing Water Quality 2025

Gera Bathing Water Score: 71/100

What is the bathing water quality in Somerset?

Somerset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 71/100 for the 2025 bathing season, based on 6 EA-rated sites: 2 Excellent, 1 Good, 1 Sufficient, 4 Poor. Source: Environment Agency Bathing Water Quality API (OGL v3.0). Gera re-dates this annually.

Source:Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API·as of bathing season 2025 (latest completed season)updated annually (last: 20 June 2026)

Gera Bathing Water Score71 / 100Ranked 61 of 68 local authorities. 2 Excellent, 4 Poor (2025 season).How this index is calculated

Bathing water sites in Somerset

EA bathing water classifications — Somerset, 2025 season
Site	Type	2025 rating	GBWS	Seasons
Brean	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Porlock Weir	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Berrow North of Unity Farm	Coastal	Good	85/100	6
Minehead Terminus	Coastal	Sufficient	70/100	6
Blue Anchor West	Coastal	Poor	42/100	6
Dunster Beach	Coastal	Poor	28/100	6

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Compare bathing water quality across local authorities

Check bathing water quality for your area

Pick a local authority to see its Gera Bathing Water Score and all rated sites.

Local authority

71/100

GBWS

Gera Bathing Water Score

61 / 68

Rank

vs other LAs

Total sites

designated bathing waters

Excellent

Good

Sufficient

Poor

Rated sites (GBWS order)

BreanExcellent · 100
Porlock WeirExcellent · 100
Berrow North of Unity FarmGood · 85
Minehead TerminusSufficient · 70
Blue Anchor WestPoor · 42
Dunster BeachPoor · 28

Full report for Somerset →

Somerset bathing water — FAQ

Is the sea water quality good in Somerset?: Somerset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 71/100 (2 of 6 rated sites Excellent, 4 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 71 reflects a combination of current classification (weighted 60%) and multi-season consistency across all assessed seasons, up to six from 2019–2025 (weighted 40%). This is an above-average score.
What does the Gera Bathing Water Score mean?: The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.
How are Somerset bathing waters classified?: The Environment Agency classifies each designated bathing water under the Revised Bathing Water Directive (rBWD): Excellent, Good, Sufficient, or Poor, based on 4 seasons of E. coli and intestinal enterococci samples. Somerset has 8 designated site(s). Annual classifications are published on the EA's Bathing Water Quality platform.
When is the bathing season?: The official bathing season in England runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. The EA monitors water quality weekly during the season. Outside the season, monitoring is not required and advisories may not be current.

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Contains public sector information published by Environment Agency and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API (bathing season 2025 (latest completed season), published 2026 (annual publication)).