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The water of Nice's spectacular Baie des Anges is regularly
monitored, especially during the summer season. If you head to the beach early you
may see the small boat that takes water samples about five metres from
the shore. The samples are then tested for E-coli and other noxious
substances and the results posted at www.nice.fr.
So much for the invisible dirt. What about
floating bottles, plastic bags and other unsightly detritus? Niçois
call it the "Courant Ligure" (Ligurian current) and it
brings 20 tons of detritus each year. You won't see much of it though.
That too, is regularly swept up by the four cleaning boats that
patrol the waters.
If you watch the water regularly, as I do,
you'll notice that it's visibly cleaner in the
morning. That's because
the nighttime currents regularly sweep any detritus out to sea. You'll
also notice that the water is visibly cloudier after a storm as water
purification stations in the region overflow into the Paillon river
which dumps its effluents into the sea. Many Nice residents avoid
swimming for a day or two after a storm.
All 27 Nice beaches meet EU minimum standards
and 26 are categorised as "good quality". The one "medium
quality" beach is Centenaire which is closest to where the Paillon
meets the sea.
Beaches in Nice
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