Eaux et rivers de Bretagne launches an alternative indicator of bathing water quality to the traditional European barometer. Goal? Highlight the best preserved sites and open a discussion about their current management.
Every fifth beach in the country is regularly contaminated with bacteria , stands for waters and rivers of Brittany (ERB). For better information, the association created its own classification of bathing water quality called La belle plage (1) in parallel with the one implemented by the Government in the framework European reporting. The association believes that the current approach does not allow understanding the possible health risks associated with swimming. User information is sometimes non-existent, too often not very visible and never transparentshe regretted.Therefore, too much public data is entered without a valid reason for obtaining it results suitable for swimming. Others are not updated even though they should be.
For its indicator, the ERB relied on the results of analyzes published by public bodies in the last four years and which were used for the European classification, but with an emphasis on highlighting the risks to which bathers are exposed. For each of the 1,854 beaches in mainland France and Corsica, this indicator combines a score out of 100 and a classification into one of the following categories: Recommended, Low Risk, Not Recommended or Avoid. Instead of a global assessment of the quality of each beach based on all samples taken over four years, the health risk is assessed individually for each sample. explains ERB.The classification depends on the proportion of samples classified as Good: if 100% of the samples are classified as Good, the score is 100. If 10% of the samples are classified as Medium or Poor, and therefore represent a significant health risk, the score is 90.
The association also focused on Brittany. The results? Of the 566 Brittany beaches, 21 should be avoided and 88 are not recommended, according to the ERB indicator, due to recurrent pollution in 2023. The association reminds that 57% of the pigs raised in France, 31% of the poultry are concentrated in Brittany and calls for livestock waste water management in this area is better regulated.
According to research on the quality of bathing water?
We hope that the public authorities will identify the causes of recontamination without false pretenses and that they will apply solutions to effectively combat pollution and thus put an end to this pollution problem. public health, called by the association.To the extent that warnings occur with fairly heavy rain, it is time to address two issues: connections (wastewater and stormwater networks) and especially runoff, which washes away soil that has received bacteria-rich wastewater. Some available studies mention very high flows coming from sparsely populated upstream areas..
In this context, Eaux et rivers de Bretagne is launching a petition demanding a parliamentary investigation into the quality of bathing water.
Article published on May 25, 2024