Le Mezayon Au Lieu Dit La Neuve

France River 3 - Sufficient

La Neuve is the only authorized bathing area in the Ouvèze Ardéchoise watershed, located in the picturesque and historic Lyas municipality in central Ardèche. The site is crossed by the Mézayon river, the main tributary of the Ouvèze. It features a natural setting with pebble, gravel, and sand bed, natural banks, and tree-covered vegetation. The bathing area is managed by the Privas Centre Ardèche Agglomeration Community and operated as a free-access site with supervised swimming from approximately 1 July to 31 August. The site is popular with diverse visitors including families, local residents, tourists, hikers, mountain bikers, and anglers.

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Water

The Mézayon river, a tributary of the Ouvèze. The water body contains two basins with average depths of 1 metre (upstream basin) and 1.5 metres (downstream basin). The bed is composed of pebbles, gravel, and sand. Vegetation is tree-covered with grassy areas along the banks.

Location

Lyas commune, central Ardèche. Located at the Moulinage de La Neuve on the right bank. Parking, picnic areas, first-aid post, toilets, and fast food facilities are available. The site is part of the Privas economic area and the Monts d'Ardèche Regional Natural Park.

Facilities

Lifeguards (supervised swimming daily, 11:00–19:00), toilets, first-aid post, fast food restaurant, picnic areas, parking.

Season

Approximately 1 July to 31 August, with supervised swimming from 11:00 to 19:00 hours daily.

Water Quality

Water quality monitoring is conducted by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) with approximately four controls per bathing season. Analysis measures intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli bacteria as indicators of faecal contamination. Over the five years preceding 2025, water quality has progressively deteriorated due to elevated concentrations of bacteria indicating faecal pollution. The reasons for this degradation are unknown, though hypotheses include non-collective sanitation system pollution upstream, animal manure pollution, sediment suspension by swimmers, and heavy pollution from runoff during rainfall episodes. The bathing area classification has declined from excellent quality in 2021 to lower classifications in subsequent years.

Risks

Elevated bacterial contamination indicating faecal pollution from unknown sources. Potential risks include pollution from upstream non-collective sanitation systems, animal farming runoff, sediment suspension by swimmers, and heavy pollution during rainfall events.