A beach in south-west France has been named the cleanest in the country, topping a national ranking based on water quality and environmental management.
The Plage Sud de Lacanau (Gironde), also known as Les Ecureuils, received a perfect score of 100 from environmental protection association Eau et Rivières de Bretagne, which published its 2025 beach rankings under the “La Belle Plage” label.
The wide stretch of white sand, backed by dunes on the Médoc coast, outperformed 1,858 other bathing sites across mainland France and Corsica. Another Lacanau beach several kilometres away, Supersud, came second.
The ranking is based on four years of water quality data from the European Environment Agency, but analysed with a method tailored to everyday beachgoers.
Unlike the official European system, which classifies beaches as Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor, Eau et Rivières created a more transparent classification aimed at better reflecting real sanitary risk.
How water quality is measured
The regional health agencies (ARS) monitor bathing water only during the summer season, taking between four and 14 samples per beach each year from June to September.
These samples are tested for two bacteria that indicate pollution: Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci.
The French national health agency Anses sets thresholds to rate each sample as Bon (no significant risk), Moyen (moderate risk), or Mauvais (high risk).
For the La Belle Plage ranking, each beach is assigned a score based on the percentage of samples rated Bon over the past four years.
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A score of 100 means all samples were Bon; if 10% were Moyen or Mauvais, the score is 90 etc.
Beaches are then placed into five categories:
Recommandé: at least 95% of samples rated Bon and none Mauvais
Peu risqué: more than 85% Bon
Déconseillé: between 70–85% Bon
A éviter: less than 70% Bon
Non classé: not monitored by ARS
This methodology, which Eau et Rivières say offers a better reflection of actual health risks, prioritises clarity for swimmers over the more complex statistical percentile-based calculations used in EU classifications.
Lacanau praised for proactive approach
“The ocean is our number one asset,” said Nicolas Jabaudon, director of the Médoc Atlantique tourist office.
“Water cleanliness is a key issue, especially for visitors. We are delighted to see our efforts recognised – regular water testing, educational outreach and awareness-raising are part of our approach. We are also lucky not to have much farmland close to the sea.”
In 2024, none of the 26 supervised bathing areas in the Médoc Atlantique zone had to be closed due to pollution.
The full results are available atlabelleplage.fr, which includes an interactive map and comparisons between 2024 and 2025 data.
By contrast, 690 beaches were Recommandé in 2024 and 755 were Peu risqué.
Experts suggest this may be due to the wet summer of 2024. Heavy rainfall can overwhelm wastewater systems and wash pollution from agricultural land into rivers and the sea, raising bacteria levels at bathing sites.
Evaluation method under scrutiny
The publication of the 2025 rankings has sparked some debate.
The ARS in Brittany criticised the Eau et Rivières classification for diverging from EU standards and not reflecting conditions year-round.
However, the association defends its more accessible approach, citing a June 2023 legal win that forced the ARS to change how it assessed beach water quality.
“Our ranking is designed for swimmers,” Eau et Rivières said. “It uses the same official data but offers a clearer picture of real sanitary risk. Transparent, easy-to-understand information is essential for public health.”
The independent Eau et Rivières ranking also differs from the internationally recognised Blue Flag (Pavillon bleu), which is awarded to beaches in France by a jury including the French Secretary of State for the Sea and Biodiversity along with an international jury made up of environmental NGOs and international organisations.
