Unsafe levels of E. coli found in the Seine River in Paris less than 2 months before the Olympics: NPR
Athletes dive and swim in the Seine River from the Alexander III Bridge during the first leg of the women’s triathlon trials at the Olympic Games in Paris, August 17, 2023.
Michel Euler/AP
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Michel Euler/AP
PARIS — Water in the Seine River has unsafely elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place at the Paris Olympics, according to test results released on Thursday. Six.
Pollution levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed that bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci exceeded limits considered safe for athletes.
The report was published by the Eau de Paris monitoring group a day after a senior executive at the International Olympic Committee said there was “no reason to doubt” the races would go ahead as scheduled. in the historic center of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.
The first Olympic event in the cleaned Seine will be the men’s triathlon, which includes a 1.5 km (under 1 mile) swim, on the morning of July 30. The women’s triathlon takes place the following day and the medley relay takes place on August 5. .
Marathon swim races of over 10 km (6.2 miles) for women and men are scheduled for August 8 and 9 respectively in waters that have been historically polluted ahead of the 1.5 billion investment USD before the Olympics.
“We are confident that we will swim in the Seine this summer,” IOC official Christophe Dubi said Thursday at an online briefing after hearing an update on Paris from officials city and Olympic organizing committee.
Despite the IOC’s publicly expressed confidence, the final decision on approving safe events for athletes should rest with the governing bodies of individual sports, World Underwater and World triathlon.
The safety of Seine water for the Olympics has been in doubt since several test events scheduled for last August were cancelled, also following unseasonably heavy rains.
According to European standards, the safe limit for E. coli is 900 colony-forming units per 100 ml. Used by the World Triathlon Federation same criteria to determine water quality sufficient for competitions.
During the first 8 days of June, test results showed that E. coli concentrations frequently exceeded this threshold. Enterococci concentrations are better, most are within safe limits. Tests showed an improvement, from high pollution levels on June 1 to more acceptable levels on June 9, mainly due to improved weather.
Rainwater enters the drainage system and to prevent street flooding, excess water carrying fecal bacteria is drained into the Seine. To solve this problem, a giant reservoir capable of holding 50,000 cubic meters of water during heavy rains was inaugurated in May.
The water quality of rivers in major cities can be affected by many things, from runoff to sometimes illegal chemical discharges and boat traffic.
Earlier this week, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo kept her promise to take a dip in the river before the competition began. On Tuesday, she confirmed that her swim had been postponed until after early elections in France, which end on July 7.
