Section 2: Health rules applicable to bathing water

The provisions of this section apply to bathing waters as defined in article L. 1332-2. Their application may not have the effect of directly or indirectly degrading the quality of bathing water.

1° A bathing water is characterised by an area where the water is of uniform quality. 2° The bathing season defined for each bathing water is the period during which the presence of a large number of bathers is to be expected. When the bathing season extends over the whole year, it begins on 1st October and ends on 30th September. 3° A large number of bathers corresponds to an…

The census procedure initiated by the municipality, as provided for in article L. 1332-1, aims to establish before each bathing season the list of bathing waters subject to the provisions of this section. This procedure provides for public information and participation during the preceding bathing season. Each year, the municipality shall initiate the procedure for listing the bathing waters defined in article L. 1332-2 located within its territory by 1…

The municipality draws up the list of bathing waters for the following bathing season, based on a summary of the comments made by the public, the responses from the registrants of bathing facilities and the bathing waters for which the municipality is responsible. This list includes bathing waters from the previous bathing season. However, bathing waters whose characteristics have changed and for which the definition of a bathing water set…

The list of bathing waters, as resulting from the census procedure provided for in article D. 1332-16 , as well as any change to this list compared to the previous year, accompanied by the reasons, the information mentioned in article D. 1332-17 as well as the summary of public comments are communicated by the municipality to the Prefect and the Director General of the Regional Health Agency by 31 January…

The bathing waters listed are included in the register of protected areas mentioned in article R. 212-4 of the Environment Code. The departmental prefect sends the list of bathing waters surveyed in his department to the basin coordinating prefect. Each year, the Prefect notifies the Minister for Health, by 30 April at the latest or, for the overseas departments, Mayotte, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, by 31 August at the latest, of…

Each person responsible for a bathing water draws up the bathing water profile provided for in article L. 1332-3. This profile includes in particular the following elements 1° A description of the physical, geographical and hydrogeological characteristics of the bathing water and other surface waters in the catchment area of the bathing water concerned, which could be relevant sources of pollution for the purposes of the objective of this section…

The person responsible for the bathing water prepares, for public distribution, a summary document corresponding to the general description of the bathing water based on the bathing water profile. The person responsible for the bathing water sends the profile and the summary document to the mayor, together with any other useful information. The mayor sends the Director General of the Regional Health Agency all the profiles and summary documents relating…

The profile of bathing waters classified, pursuant to article D. 1332-27, as being of “good”, “sufficient” or “insufficient” quality, must be reviewed regularly in order to update it. The frequency and extent of the reviews must be adapted to the nature, frequency and seriousness of the pollution risks to which the bathing water is exposed. A revision shall be carried out which provides for a re-examination of all the elements…

The monitoring programme drawn up by the person responsible for the bathing water, as provided for in article L. 1332-3, includes, as a minimum, daily visual monitoring during the bathing season. It may also include monitoring of indicators selected on the basis of the water profile, enabling short-term pollution to be detected. The health inspections referred to in article L. 1332-3, carried out by the Director General of the Regional…