What is the bacteriological quality of bathing water?

2023-06-17 07:07:36

It bathes, in Montpellier. This year again, regular health checks, carried out by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Occitanie, show that the bathing waters at sea are without bacteriological risks, around the Hérault capital. According to the public body’s report, almost all of the spots (Valras-Plage, Sérignan, Portiragnes, Vias, Agde, Marseillan, Sète, Frontignan, Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, Palavas-les-Flots, Carnon and La Grande -Motte) are classified as “excellent quality”, the highest flag.

In Hérault, only Saint-Clair beach, in La Grande-Motte, is only classified as “good quality”, following “temporary contamination”. “The analyzes carried out on August 11 and August 19, 2022 showed that the threshold for Escherichia coli was exceeded”, an intestinal bacterium, indicates the ARS. “The maximum threshold of 1,000 [préconisé par l’Agence nationale de la Sécurité sanitaire] not being reached, no management measures were taken. However, this contamination caused the downgrading of this swim to “good” for this year. This pollution could be linked to the particularly high attendance at this bathing site on the day of sampling. Already, bacteriological contamination had been detected on this ultra-popular beach of Grande-Motte, at the end of the summer of 2021, leading to a temporary closure of the site.

In freshwater bodies, the balance is more disparate than at sea

In the lakes and rivers of Hérault, on the other hand, if the overall quality remains satisfactory, notes the ARS, the balance sheet is more disparate. Of the 39 spots accessible to the public, 27 are classified as “excellent quality” and 10 as “good quality” (Hérault-Tivoli, The village, The gorges, The old mill, The village lake, The Brunan mill , The Vis-Navacelles waterfall, Les Vailhes at Lac du Salagou, Arles-Gorges and Heric-Les Gorges). One area is of “sufficient” quality, the last level before the red card: the Boulidou, on the Cesse, which was still, two years ago, of “excellent quality”.

Red flag, on the other hand, on the Orb-Taillevent site, in Lunas, classified as “insufficient quality”. Swimming is prohibited there. Same sanction on the Boulouc lake, also crossed out in red, which had been prohibited to swimmers last summer, “for health safety reasons due to a gradual deterioration in quality during the last seasons”, without that we can determine the origin of this pollution, indicates the ARS. Please note that two sites are closed in Cazilhac (Les Forces and Vis-Les cascades) for rockfalls in the car park, which caused a fatal accident in 2018.

In the Gard, all the beaches are of “excellent quality” at Grau-du-Roi

For those who prefer to escape to the Gard, to escape the Hérault crowd, all the beaches of Grau-du-Roi (Le Boucanet, Right and Left Banks, Port Camargue North and South and Pointe de l’Espiguette) are classified as “excellent quality”. On the lake and river side, 52 spots out of 77 are also at the top and 13 are of “good quality” (the Gorges de Capou, the Pensière de Dourbies, the Mouretou, the Pont Vieux, Garanel, the lake of the meadow, la Rouquette, la Vigère, the Rives du Gardon, Chareneuve, the Old mill, the Moulinet and Mas de Terris). Four sites are classified as “sufficient quality”: the Rocher des Fées (classified as “insufficient” quality in 2021), Plantiers, Gour Mourier (classified as “insufficient” quality since 2019) and Gambionne. On these sites, investigations are continuing, indicates the ARS, to try to flush out the sources of pollution.

Finally, two freshwater sites hoist the red flag in the Gard: the Aire de loisirs at Aumessas (Albagne) and the lake at Aulas (Le Coudoulous). Please note that the bathing area of ​​the Grotte des Fées, in Tharaux, is closed to bathers this summer, as no samples could be taken due to the drying up of the river.

The quality of bathing water can be consulted in real time ici.

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