Bathing water quality in Saint-Jean-de-Luz: the city wants to “put an end to preconceived ideas”

The City of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Basque Country urban community brought the public together at the Le Select cinema to address concerns about bathing water quality. This was an opportunity to detail the actions taken, deconstruct certain preconceived ideas, and listen to residents' questions.

The quality of bathing water in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure, as well as on the beaches of Saint-Jean-de-Luz located north of the city, has been a widely discussed topic for years. Criticisms regularly fly: pollution, bacteria, microalgae, wastewater discharged into the ocean during rainy periods... The population often wonders about the real risk to their health of the beaches of the southern Basque Country. To address concerns and "put an end to preconceived ideas", the City of Saint-Jean-de-Luz organized a public meeting on Friday, June 4, at the recently renovated Le Select cinema.

You shouldn't be late to attend: thirty minutes before the start, some Luziens were already queuing. A rather elderly audience, accompanied by a few fishermen, quickly occupied the 172 seats in room 2 of the cinema. In the end, around fifty people, including around twenty lifeguards (MNS) mobilized this summer on the beaches of Luz , had to stay outside due to lack of space. Proof that the subject is of interest and could undoubtedly have filled the large room of the Select.

Before giving the floor to the public, Jean-Daniel Marino, Caroline Sarrade, and Stéphanie Delporte, members of the Basque Country Agglomeration Community (CAPB), detailed the system in place to monitor the quality of bathing water on beaches. While only analyses by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) are legally binding, the CAPB works hand in hand with municipalities in a more preventive approach. "The difficulty is that the ARS takes a measurement one day and gives a result forty-eight hours later. We try to anticipate so as not to expose bathers to risk," explains Jean-Daniel Marino.

Thus, the CAPB teams in charge of the matter communicate directly with the mayors. In the event of unfavorable analysis results or projections suggesting a deterioration in water quality, they inform the municipalities. These then decide whether or not to close swimming .

"The difficulty is that the ARS takes a measurement one day and gives a result 48 hours later. We try to anticipate."

The quality of bathing water in the Basque Country, and more specifically in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, is regularly criticized by the population. Manuel de Lara, leader of the opposition group "Le Centre Luzien," even described the bay as a "toilet bowl" during a municipal council meeting. In response to this criticism, CAPB specialists were keen to point out: "Despite the difficulties linked to our territory and the climate, today, we have beaches that are excellent and of good quality."

However, a map of the beaches on the Atlantic coast , produced by the association Eaux et Rivières de Bretagne, classified the large Luzian beach as one of those "to be avoided" in 2024. "They consider it as such because it closes more regularly than others, not because it is more polluted than other beaches," maintains Jean-Daniel Marino. According to the CAPB, the work carried out and daily studies have made it possible to reduce the rate of beach closures due to pollution from 20 to 8% in ten years.

"Despite the difficulties linked to our territory and the climate, today we have beaches that are of excellent and good quality."

Another misconception: wastewater treatment plants overflow when it rains. "No, the plants don't overflow. It's the upstream networks, with their retention basins and storm overflows, that can become saturated before reaching the plant," the CAPB reminded us. The Saint-Jean-de-Luz plant, currently not compliant with current standards, will be replaced by a new facility set further back from the coastline. The project has passed the public meetings stage. It represents an investment of €28 million and is expected to be completed in 2027.

The public then took the floor to share their questions. One resident recounted the serious misfortune of his sister, who was infected with the rare Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, known as "flesh-eating bacteria," after swimming in the bay with a wound.

Others called for annual monitoring of bathing waters, not just in summer. One surfer also demanded greater transparency, with the publication of the forecast bulletin received by the mayor. Some also expressed concern about microalgae, such as Ostreopsis , which are considered dangerous to health.

The development of microalgae was obviously discussed by the CAPB, as it was at a conference in Biarritz earlier in the week. At the end of the meeting, while the majority of the audience seemed reassured about the quality of bathing water, some remained skeptical...