Swimming: what quality of water on your favorite beach?

You can know in real time the quality of the water of your holiday place (sea water as fresh water) by doing a very simple search on the site bathing.health.gouv.fr Ministry of Solidarity and Health. After selecting from a drop-down list the department, then the municipality, to arrive at the site that interests you, you have access to a map, the results of the last picks and the history of rankings. You can then print or download the “bathing site profile” which presents a diagram of the beach concerned with useful information: sources of pollution and action plans, place of control, location of the emergency station and toilets, place of display of information, parking area...

This site also allows you to discover how the controls are carried out, informs you about the regulations, offers you recommendations to fully enjoy the bathing by avoiding inconveniences, informs you about the risks of swimming in water that is not of good quality and on the ways to avoid them.

According to the criteria laid down in European Directive 2006/7/EC, 7 quality classes may be attributed to bathing water, on the basis of the results of analyzes obtained during the last 4 seasons and using a statistical method, with different quality limits between fresh and sea waters:

• Excellent: site with excellent water quality.
• Good: site with good quality water.
• Sufficient: site with sufficient water quality.
• Insufficient: site with poor water quality.
• Insufficient sampling: site does not have enough sampling this season to be classified.
• No ranking due to changes or ranking not yet possible: site for which a ranking is not yet possible.
• Prohibition: a site with a temporary ban on swimming.

The monitoring period for bathing sites covers the bathing season, but it can vary from one department to another due to different climatic conditions. Follow-up extends to mainland France from 15 June to 15 September in general and can be shorter for freshwater bathing. It shall be carried out all year round in the overseas departments.

The analyzes are carried out by the Regional Health Agencies (RHAs). The regulations provide for the taking of a sample for bacteriological control between 10 and 20 days before the opening of the season, and then at a minimum bimonthly frequency. Where bathing water quality in the preceding two years has remained in conformity with the standards laid down by the regulations, the number of withdrawals may be reduced but may not be less than one per month.

The health check shall also include visual surveillance for the presence of tarry residues, glass, plastic or other waste.