In Menton, water activities prohibited at the beaches of Sablettes and Rondelli due to bacterial contamination

The beaches to the east of Menton are prohibited for all nautical activities due to a high concentration in the seawater of Escherichia coli, a pathogenic bacterium. By municipal decree of June 22, swimming on the beaches of Sablettes and Rondelli is prohibited until further notice.

Please note that swimming is prohibited on the beaches to the east of Menton! The City published a decree, Thursday June 22, to prohibit any nautical activity, bathing and fishing, on the beaches of Sablettes and Rondelli, “due to poor water quality“.”The bans will be lifted as soon as the analyzes have confirmed a return to normal,“adds the municipality in a press release.

Routine analyses, carried out regularly by the City during the summer period to monitor water quality, revealed a significant presence ofEscherichia coli in sea water.

The concentration of this pathogenic bacterium is close to five times higher than the sanitary threshold qualifying the water quality as “poor”. For reference, the analysis carried out on June 20 thus presents concentrations of 4,756 and 5,037 colony-forming units (CFU) ofEscherichia coli per mL of seawater, while the “poor” quality threshold is set at 1000 CFU per milliliter.

This concentration ofEscherichia colican disappear naturally, thanks to marine movements. Hydrocarbon pollution of sea water had already been detected in early June on the territory of the town, and several beaches on the Promenade du Soleil had been temporarily closed. The latter are not affected by contamination ofEscherichia coli and remain open for business.