The Basque Country and the Suez Eau France company are under investigation by a court in Bayonne, France, for suspected illegal discharges of wastewater into the ocean. The Pays Basque Community, an intercommunal entity managing sanitation services for 158 communes, and Suez Eau France, its sanitation contractor, have been placed under investigation since 2017 for allegedly releasing harmful substances into the sea, according to the French news agency AFP, citing the Bayonne prosecutor’s office. The charges include discharging harmful substances into surface or groundwater, throwing away waste, and releasing substances that limit the use of bathing areas. The investigation was revealed by the regional newspaper Sud Ouest and is part of a judicial inquiry opened in 2021 by the regional environmental division of the Bayonne court. This inquiry was launched after complaints from the Interdepartmental Committee for Maritime Fisheries and environmental groups Cade and Sepanso, who expressed concerns over the environmental impact of these alleged discharges. The investigation, led by the gendarmerie’s Central Office for Combating Environmental and Public Health Offenses (Oclaesp), the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), and the judicial police, focuses on sanitation systems in six coastal towns: Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Urrugne, and Hendaye. Complainants have pointed out that these sanitation facilities are undersized or outdated, especially during heavy rains. Since May 2019, the Pays Basque Agglomeration, established in 2017, has delegated its sanitation services to Suez Eau France through a public tender. Under normal conditions, the six wastewater treatment plants along the Basque coast are allowed to discharge up to 5% of their total volume of untreated water when they reach capacity. However, the investigation has found that this limit was exceeded, with discharges reaching up to 15% and even 22% in Hendaye in 2020. According to the findings, 222 days of beach closures between 2019 and 2021 are linked to the discharge of 923,904 cubic meters of untreated wastewater near bathing areas. This has raised concerns about public health and the environment. François Ruffié, a lawyer for the environmental association Cade, criticized the situation, saying that “every time it rains, they open the valves and everyone knows.” The Pays Basque Agglomeration has stated that it is allowing the investigation to continue and has not commented further. Suez, meanwhile, has not issued a public response, but noted in a statement that it has been managing sanitation services for the six towns since 1971. The ongoing legal and environmental scrutiny highlights the long-standing challenges of managing wastewater in a region with significant tourism and ecological value.