Baye

France Lake 1 - Excellent

Baye is a bathing zone located on an artificial pond in the commune of Bazolles in the Nièvre department. The bathing area covers 471 square metres of emerged land with an average depth of 0.72 metres in the water zone. The beach is sandy underwater and grassy on the emerged section, with the composition including sands, silts, fine organic sediments, and coarser aggregates. The bathing zone experiences tidal variations of 30 to 50 centimetres due to water management for the Nivernais Canal.

Reviews

No reviews yet.

Write a review

Photos

Upload a photo

Water

Etang de Baye is an artificial pond constructed at the end of the 18th century to supply the Nivernais Canal. Surface area: 76 hectares. Altitude: 261 metres. Maximum depth: 4.60 metres. Substrate: limestone. The pond is partially embanked and its rives are mostly artificial.

Location

Bazolles, Nièvre department. The bathing zone is on Etang de Baye pond with a 70-metre waterfront. A telephone cabin is located approximately 30 metres from the beach.

Facilities

Telephone cabin. Waste bins managed by Activital. The nearby Activital leisure base offers camping facilities, a sailing school, and environmental education activities. The Cercle Nivernais de la Voile (sailing club) provides a rest area for caravans and tents, and a boat maintenance workshop.

Season

Arbitrary dates set by the ARS: 15 June to 31 August. Sanitary controls occur from the first week of June to the first week of August. Bathers are present from late May to late August. The official bathing season is defined as early June to late August at minimum, dependent on meteorological conditions.

Water Quality

Profile type 1 indicates no proven bacteriological risks. Water quality is classified as good (class A). Monitoring by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) occurs from the first week of June to the first week of August. Water transparency and turbidity are primarily influenced by erosion of the pond banks rather than the sandy beach itself.

Risks

Bank erosion on several sections charges the water with particles and increases turbidity. Rocks positioned to limit erosion present a safety risk of injury to swimmers. Domestic animals have free access to the bathing zone, creating a possible contamination risk. During low water periods in summer, reduced depth may hinder bathing. High temperatures combined with low water levels and high bather numbers may favour pathogenic organism development.