E. Coli found in the River Seine in Paris before the Olympics

Paris – The water in the River Seine showed unsafely high levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions scheduled to take place during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday.

Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, following persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci beyond limits considered safe for athletes.

The report was published by monitoring group Eau de Paris 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 on a historic stretch of central Seine near the Eiffel Tower. .

The first Olympic event in the clean Seine is the men’s triathlon, including a 1.5 kilometer (less than 1 mile) swim, on the morning of July 30. The women’s triathlon is the next day and a mixed relay race will be on August 5th. .

Marathon swims of more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) for women and men are scheduled for August 8 and 9, respectively, in waters that have been historically polluted ahead of a $1.5 billion investment ahead of the Olympics

“We are confident that we will swim the Seine this summer,” IOC official Christophe Dubi said Thursday in an online briefing after hearing an update from Paris from city officials and Olympic organizers.

Despite the confidence expressed publicly by the IOC, the final decision on approving safe events for athletes must rest with the governing bodies of individual sports, the Aquatic World and World Triathlon.

The safety of the Seine’s waters for the Olympics has been in doubt since some test events scheduled for last August were cancelled, also following unseasonably heavy rain.

According to European standards, the safe limit for E. coli is 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. The World Triathlon Federation uses the same criteria to determine water quality sufficient for competitions.

During the first eight days of June, test results showed that E. coli levels frequently exceeded these limits. Enterococcal levels were better, remaining mostly within safe limits. Testing indicated an improvement, from high levels of contamination on June 1st to more acceptable levels on June 9th, mainly due to improving weather.

Rainwater infiltrates the sewage system and, to prevent street flooding, excess water, carrying fecal bacteria, is diverted into the Seine. To resolve this issue, a huge reservoir capable of storing 50,000 cubic meters of water during heavy rains was inaugurated in May.

The water quality of rivers in large cities can be affected by many things, from runoff to the dumping of chemicals, sometimes illegally, and boat traffic.

Earlier this week, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo doubled down on her promise to take a dip in the river before the competition began. On Tuesday, she confirmed that her swim has been postponed until after France’s early elections, which end on July 7.