Health checks on bathing water: we explain how to navigate the different sources

It was in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Once again—it had already happened in mid-July—the purple flag was raised for an entire day on a beach: swimming was prohibited due to suspected pollution. The same thing happened on the Croisette side of Cannes , for an entire afternoon, this time after a rainy episode that could also carry bacteria that are not very recommended in our bathing waters.

In the middle of the summer season, these are occasional events dreaded by municipalities and tourism professionals. For everyone, it's still good to know whether or not they're swimming in clean, high-quality water.

"And it's important that we're informed about it," says Céline, who usually lays her towel on the beaches of Cagnes-sur-Mer and Villeneuve-Loubet. "I'm very sensitive to it." Mother of two young children, she regularly checks the government website on bathing water quality (1) to see if the beach she's going to is well classified. "In general, where I go it's blue, excellent, or green, which corresponds to good. When it's orange or red, I'm giving up for the whole summer!"

Self-control of municipalities

The primary control tower for bathing water quality is the local level. "Municipalities are implementing self-monitoring," explains Fabrice Tassonville of the Department of Prevention, Risk Management, and Health Alerts at the Alpes-Maritimes Regional Health Agency. "They are responsible for the quality of their water."

There's a logic to this: pollution at sea almost always comes from the land, "especially in this department where serious maritime pollution remains rare," adds Fabrice Tassonville. Locally, the community is therefore best placed to know "the vulnerability profile of its bathing area." It's even a European obligation: "it must identify potential sources of pollution," emphasizes the head of ARS 06. "And put in place the necessary arrangements."

In summer, one sample per week

In addition to local self-monitoring, there is a second level to this control tower. There, the state takes control with the Alpes-Maritimes regional health agency, which conducts weekly readings to assess water quality.

"We take one sample per week from June 1st to September 30th," explains Fabrice Tassonville . "It's a bacteriological analysis of three parameters – Escherichia coli, fecal streptococci and total coliforms – which are indicators of organic contamination of bathing water, mainly from the wastewater network. Malfunctions in sanitation systems are the main cause of pollution on beaches. We also need to be vigilant after heavy rains because the rainwater network can become saturated and generate pollution at sea."

Data put online

The results of these samples are accessible to everyone, from the same official website (1). The ARS ranking is symbolized by a swimmer topped with colored stars – "excellent quality" (blue), "good quality" (green), "sufficient quality" (orange), or "insufficient quality" (red).

An overall score is calculated based on analyses from the previous four years. Why this period? "Health inspections have statistical significance," observes the regional health agency. "Taking four years as a reference gives a more robust idea of the quality of bathing water. It's a good indicator for users."

However, on this same site, for certain beaches, health analyses carried out throughout the summer are published. It is therefore possible to know the quality of the water almost in real time by clicking on the cryptogram and on "details of the bathing site" .

This may also be different from the overall rating. For example, in Saint-Laurent-du-Var on the Beach Club beach: the rating based on figures from the last four years mentions an "insufficient" quality, but the samples taken since mid-June are all "good" . The water there is therefore of good quality if we stick to the latest analyses. The same is true on the neighboring Flots bleus beach.

More stringent criteria

There is another classification, developed by Eaux et rivières de Bretagne (2), which is sometimes contrasted with that of the ARS. Based on the same official data, the association applies a stricter assessment grid, in the name of protecting bathers. It considers that one can only "bathe with confidence" if a beach has more than 85% of "good quality" samples. Otherwise, it advises against the location.

On the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes, many sites are thus less well rated. For example, in Eze, a beach is rated orange ( "not recommended" ) while in the ARS it is blue ( "excellent" ). The same is true for Antibes: the Breton association classifies a majority of beaches as orange and a few as red ( "to be avoided" ) while the ARS downgrades only the beaches of Ondes and Garoupe Est to orange ( "sufficient" ).

"We can be confident: 97% of bathing areas are compliant," says the ARS.

So how do you find your way around before heading out for a swim? First option: consult the two websites mentioned above. Second: upon arrival, it's recommended to read the information sometimes displayed at the lifeguard stations. And don't settle for clear water, which isn't necessarily a guarantee of healthy water.

According to the latest ARS report, based on analyses carried out between 2020 and 2024, 97% of beaches, excluding artificial sites, are compliant in our department. "And we monitor sensitive areas. The Alpes-Maritimes have good bathing waters, we can be confident," assures the ARS.

1. https://baignades.sante.gouv.fr/

The "Water Quality" tab provides access to a map of the entire country. Zoom in on the beach of your choice, then click on "Swimming Site Details" to see the most recent health analyses.

2. https://www.labelleplage.fr/

Direct access to the map (all of France) and easy navigation between the beaches. The ranking is annual and does not provide access to the most recent analyses.