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Going to the beach with your child: the rules to follow
The Blue Flag: a label for the quality of water and beaches
What is that ? This label distinguishes each year the municipalities and marinas that are committed to a quality environment. 87 municipalities and 252 beaches: this is the number of 2007 winners for this label, which guarantees clean water and beaches. Pornic, La Turballe, Narbonne, Six-Fours-les Plages, Lacanau… Awarded by the French Office of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (OF-FEEE), this label distinguishes each year the municipalities and ports pleasure craft that are committed to a quality environment.
According to what criteria? It takes into account: the quality of bathing water of course, but also the action taken in favor of the environment, the quality of water and waste management, the prevention of pollution risks, information of the public, easier access for people with reduced mobility …
Who benefits? More than a simple statement of the cleanliness of the premises, the Blue Flag takes into account various ecological and informative parameters. For example “the encouragement of tourists to use alternative means of locomotion (cycling, walking, public transport, etc.)”, as well as anything that can “promote behavior that respects the environment”. In terms of tourism, it is a very popular label, especially for foreign holidaymakers. It therefore encourages the municipalities to make efforts to obtain it.
To find the list of winning municipalities,www.pavillonbleu.org
Official beach controls: minimum hygiene
What is that ? During the bathing season, samples are taken at least twice a month by the Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Affairs (DDASS), to determine the cleanliness of the water.
According to what criteria? We look for the presence of germs, we assess its color, its transparency, the presence of pollution … These results, classified into 4 categories (A, B, C, D, from the cleanest to the least clean), must be displayed in town hall and on site.
In category D, an investigation is launched to find the causes of pollution, and swimming is immediately prohibited. Good news: this year, 96,5% of French beaches offer quality bathing water, a figure that is constantly increasing.
Our advice: it is obviously imperative to respect these prohibitions. Likewise, you should never bathe after a thunderstorm, as pollutants are then much more present in the water that has just been brewed. Note: seawater is generally cleaner than that of lakes and rivers.
Also think about the tourist offices, which deliver information in real time on their sites. And on the cleanliness side of the beaches, a quick glance via the webcam can help to get an idea …
Consult the French bathing water quality map on http://baignades.sante.gouv.fr/htm/baignades/fr_choix_dpt.htm
Beaches abroad: how is it going
The “Blueflag”, equivalent of the Blue Flag (see above), is an international label present in 37 countries. A reliable clue.
The European Commission also surveys the quality of bathing water site by site, in all the countries of the Union. Its objectives: to reduce and prevent pollution of bathing water, and to inform Europeans. At the top of the charts last year: Greece, Cyprus and Italy.
Results can be viewed at http://www.ec.europa.eu/water/water-bathing/report_2007.html.