Drought in Dordogne: several beaches closed due to the presence of cyanobacteria

Signs indicating the ban have been posted at the entrances to the affected sites. "Water sports are not prohibited; people should simply avoid going into the water," said Didier Couteaud, director of the ARS in Dordogne.

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms naturally present in freshwater, but can multiply abnormally during periods of high heat and low water flow. This proliferation leads to the production of toxins that are potentially dangerous to both human and animal health. Symptoms vary: skin and eye irritation, stomach aches, vomiting, headaches, and even neurological or liver damage in the most serious cases.

These toxins are produced both by cyanobacteria suspended in the water (planktonic) and by those attached to the seabed or rocks (benthic), now systematically searched for each week in declared bathing areas.

"In twenty-five years, we've never had this. We signed a contract with a lifeguard for a beach that attracts nearly 6,000 people each summer. We don't know how we're going to manage," fumes Joël Constant, the mayor of Lisle.

In the Périgord Noir, at Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and Vitrac, the beaches are seeing an influx of holidaymakers at the start of summer. However, on site, no visible information on Friday, July 11, indicated the presence of cyanobacteria or the precautionary measures to be adopted. There was no more information upstream, at Rocher de la Cave in Carsac, at Calviac where the beach was deserted by mid-afternoon, nor at Saint-Julien-de-Lampon, which is less crowded than the beaches located in the Golden Triangle.