Year-round beach surveillance: a Landes model out of reach in Gironde

The Landes region will implement a unique year-round surveillance system on beaches and lakes. In Gironde, municipalities consider the model unworkable due to lack of resources.

While the Landes region has announced an ambitious year-round surveillance plan for beaches and lakes , the Gironde region does not seem able to follow suit. The objective is to ensure a continuous presence in six sensitive areas of the coastline and lakes, even in winter.

In Gironde, the project is generating interest, but seems out of reach. "In the Landes, they are fortunate to have a Department that is driving these issues. This is not the case here," laments Laurent Peyrondet, mayor of Lacanau and president of the Intercommunal Syndicate for the Surveillance of Beaches and Lakes on the Gironde Coast (Sivu). According to him, the Department's recent decision to withdraw from funding "beach plans" (1) compromises any prospects. "Such a project is unthinkable without financial support. The municipalities alone cannot afford it."

Beyond budgetary constraints, the elected official highlights a different local reality: "In December, January, and February, there are only surfers in the water. Does this mean we need a reinforced system in the middle of winter? The question deserves to be asked." The subject will be addressed at the next SIVU union council meeting. "The priority is already to maintain a satisfactory level of safety during the season," insists the mayor. On the Gironde coast, only Lacanau and Montalivet finance continuous surveillance from Easter to All Saints' Day . The Lacanau resort spends more than €600,000 per season to recruit its lifeguards and ensure the safety of holidaymakers in the water. In Gironde, the evolution would rather consist of encouraging other resorts to gradually extend their surveillance period, from spring to autumn. Many resorts only activate beach surveillance in July and August.

(1) The beach plan is a coastal development, within a specific perimeter, intended to organize the safe reception of the public in relation to seaside activities and, where appropriate, with other activities linked to the use of the beach.