Beach Testing
Thirteen out of fourteen French-side beaches that were tested for water quality in 2007 have been blue-flagged to denote "good quality" for bathing, the health department DSDS recently announced in a report.
The health department carried out between 13 and 25 tests at 14 popular beaches during the year. Only one beach, Grande Cayes Nord in the vicinity of the Cul-de-Sac landfill, was classified as "green," denoting lesser quality. However, this beach had also received a blue classification in previous years. Because of its proximity to the landfill the beach is tested more frequently than others.
The 13 blue-flagged beaches are:
Anse Marcel
Baie aux Prunes
Baie de Embouchure Nord
Baie de Embouchure Sud
Baie Longue
Baie Orientale Nord
Baie Orientale Sud
Baie Rouge
Friar's Bay
Grand Case
Grande Cayes Sud
Pinel Island
Petit Plage
In terms of quality, from best to worst, the four colour codes are Blue (A category) Green (B), Yellow (C), and Red (D).
Blue conforms to all criteria for water testing, green denotes a lesser quality than blue, yellow is slightly polluted, and red is bad quality and polluted.
The health department began testing water quality at beaches in 2003.
