E. coli levels of Paris’ Seine River soar one month before Summer Olympics
Pew la la!
The Seine River remains a contaminated soup of E. coli and other potentially dangerous bacteria — despite Paris’ billion-dollar clean-up efforts ahead of next month’s Olympic games.
The famous waterway is not only one of the City of Light’s most recognizable natural features, it’s also set to serve as the field of competition for triathlon and marathon swimming events when the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off July 26.
Samples collected by the Eau de Paris monitoring group earlier this month showed levels of E. coli bacteria in the Seine hovering around 10 times higher than acceptable levels.
Eau de Paris gathered water samples from four locations spanning the river’s length, including the Alexandre III Bridge, the starting point for the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon and marathon swimming events.
E. coli contamination of water is typically linked to the presence of fecal matter.
It’s usually not fatal, but it can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms like diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sepsis.
In April, the nonprofit Surfrider Foundation Europe, which tested the water in the Seine over a six-month period, recorded “alarmingly high” bacterial levels — double what World Triathlon standards allow.
A report put out by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office detailing Eau de Paris’ test results said they also found enterococci, another kind of gut-dwelling bacteria, in the river water dating back several weeks.
Hidalgo’s office blamed the poor water quality on seasonal factors like sunlight, water temperature and the flow of the river, all of which impact bacteria’s ability to thrive.
“Water quality therefore remains degraded due to an unfavorable hydrological context: rain, high flow, low sunshine, temperatures below seasonal standards and pollution from upstream,” the report read in part.
The problem was compounded by an unusually rainy spring which has caused the river’s flow to be 4-5 times typical summer levels.
E. coli contamination of water is typically linked to the presence of fecal matter.
It’s usually not fatal, but it can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms like diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sepsis.
France has spent $1.5 billion over the last decade in a futile attempt to clean up the river, trying everything from improving Paris’ sewer system to building new water treatment and storage facilities, France24 reported.
The triathlon events taking place in the Seine are scheduled for July 30, with marathon swimming events in the river set for Aug. 8 and 9.
Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet in April suggested the triathlon event could be pushed back toward the end of the 19-day games, but even at this late no plans are known to alter the schedule.
Hidalgo and French President Emmanuel Macron have both pledged to take a dip in the Seine ahead of the games to demonstrate its cleanliness, CBS reported.