PARIS– Unsafe levels of E. coli were found in the River Seine for the third week in a row, according to test results published on Friday, less than a month before Paris Olympics.
Test results by monitoring group Water of Paris reveal contamination levels consistently above the safe limit of 900 colony forming units per 100 milliliters determined by the World Triathlon Federation for competitions.
Marathon swimming and triathlon events are scheduled to take place on the river near the Alexandre III Bridge during the Olympics, which begin on July 26.
Persistent rains have worsened the problem, as rainwater infiltrates the sewer system, leading to the discharge of fecal bacteria into the Seine, the report states, adding that flooding of the Yonne River, a confluence of the Seine, has increased flow From Rio. Seine.
A 50,000 cubic meter reservoir opened in May, to store excess rainwater, it was used for the first time on the 18th and 19th of June, preventing 40 thousand cubic meters of wastewater from flowing into the Seine.
Despite continued high levels of contamination, organizers remain optimistic.
“In the second half of July, things should calm down,” said Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee.
Marc Guillaume, mayor of the Paris region responsible for the Seine, suggested the weather would improve in the coming weeks.
“At some point, we’re going to have summer weather,” he said Wednesday. “That’s when the plan will go into effect,” he said Wednesday.
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.
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