Le Ranquet

20.2°C Water temp · Jun 8

France Coastal 1 - Excellent 20.2°C

Satellite image of LE RANQUET — Satellite image © Esri

Bathing water profile document for Étang de Berre beaches, updated in 2025. The document establishes risk profiles and management procedures for multiple bathing areas around the Étang de Berre lagoon in France, following the 2006 EU Bathing Water Directive. Water quality is monitored based on intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli levels. The document covers nine beaches with varying quality classifications and identifies pollution sources including wastewater treatment stations and stormwater runoff.

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Water

Étang de Berre is a coastal lagoon with transition water characteristics. Multiple bathing beaches are located around the lagoon. Robinsons Beach has a length of 679 meters and average width of 5 meters, with sandy and pebbly substrate, oriented east-southeast.

Location

Étang de Berre lagoon region in France. Beaches include Robinsons (Rognac), and others around the lagoon such as Champigny, Marettes, and Romaniquette. The watershed includes tributaries Arc, Touloubre, and Cadière.

Season

Monitoring is conducted during the summer bathing season (May to September). Monitoring calendar is established before the start of each season.

Water Quality

Water quality is classified into four categories: insufficient, sufficient, good, or excellent, based on minimum 16 samples over four years (4 per season minimum). Regulatory limits for coastal and transition waters: Excellent (intestinal enterococci ≤100 UFC/100ml at 95th percentile, E. coli ≤250 UFC/100ml); Good (intestinal enterococci ≤200 UFC/100ml, E. coli ≤500 UFC/100ml); Sufficient (intestinal enterococci ≤185 UFC/100ml, E. coli ≤500 UFC/100ml at 90th percentile). Robinsons Beach achieved Excellent classification in 2024. Three beaches (Champigny, Marettes, Romaniquette) show increased sensitivity to storm-related contamination.

Risks

Storm events and rainfall greater than 10mm/24h can cause short-term contamination from wastewater treatment station malfunctions and combined sewer overflows via the Arc tributary. Three beaches (Champigny, Marettes, Romaniquette) are particularly sensitive to stormwater pollution. Mean bacterial values 24 hours after storms are 115 UFC E. coli/100ml and 79 UFC enterococci/100ml. Beach closure for 24 hours is recommended following significant rainfall or storms.