...
By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Seine river remains too dirty to accommodate the Paris Olympics triathlon and open-water swimming events in just a few weeks, according to river test results from earlier this week.
"Samples from the Seine do not meet the standards we will have this summer" for the river when the Olympic Games are held from July 26 to August 11, Paris region prefect Marc Guillaume said during a press briefing.
The Olympic committee is planning for the triathlon, marathon swimming and paratriathlon to take place in the Seine, as well as the Opening Ceremony.
Read More on News
...
To be considered "good water quality" the Seine must have less than 500 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 milliliters of water. It also needs to pass inspection for debris and murkiness.
The June 11, 15 and 16 tests showed the water levels reaching or exceeding 5,000 units.
Cleanup efforts
France had spent $1.5 billion to clean the river in preparation for this summer's Olympics.
The Seine was declared biologically dead in the 1960s, meaning the toxic environments cannot sustain life. Swimming in the iconic river has been banned since 1923.
French officials, however, called the Olympic Seine resurrection a place of "unlimited possibilities."
The Opening Ceremonies are supposed to include athletes and officials floating down the river in almost 200 boats. A test run was held last week.
The river is also expected to host in 35 days open water marathons and the triathlons.
Marc Guillaume, the prefect of the region, still remains "confident with the Organizing Committee, that the events will be held at the end of July or beginning of August in the Seine."
The Paris Olympics of 1900 held its rowing, water polo and swimming events in the river.
On May 2, the city unveiled a plan to improve the water quality with an immense container that can hold 50,000 cubic meters of wastewater and rainwater, the two main culprits in contaminating the Seine.
A weekly bulletin published by Paris City Hall and the Île-de-France prefecture showed the high levels of bacteria from the June 16 test were from the bad weather France had in recent days.
"Water quality remains degraded due to an unfavorable hydrological and meteorological context: rainfall, high flow, low sunshine, temperatures below seasonal norms," explain the local authorities. "The high flow of the river, which does not promote good water quality, is the result of this very rainy weather," they also recall.
There have been reports that there is no "plan B" for the Olympic open-water swimming events other than postponing the swims for a few days.
Newsweek reached out to the Olympic committee and did not hear back immediately.
Social media campaign
President Emmanuel Macron and Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, promised to swim in the river to prove the expensive clean-up efforts were not in vain.
Last month, Parisians started to organize a "sh-t flashmob" for the same day Hidalgo plans to swim the iconic river.
The hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to "I sh-t in the Seine on June 23," began trending on social media at the end of May.
"This is kind of the idea of what they've put us through for the past seven years," @MickaelLaffont, the apparent organizer, posted.
Hidalgo announced previously she would dive into the Seine with Laurent Nuñez, the prefect of the Paris police, as well as Marc Guillaume, the prefect of the Ile-de-France region. They will plunge at the level of the Bras Marie in the 4th arrondissement, opposite the Île Saint-Louis on the right bank.
That location and two others are expected to be approved for public swimming by next summer.
She postponed her swim due to the high levels of E. coli. She did, however, still assure her audience at a press conference that she will take a dip before the Opening Ceremonies.
Concern for athletes
French environmental nonprofit Surfrider said it remains concerned about athletes dipping into the "polluted waters of the Seine."
For over seven months, Surfrider has been taking regular samples of the river to monitor the levels of bacteria.
"Of the 14 samples taken, whether after heavy rain or on a sunny day, only 1 enabled our team to conclude that the quality of the water in the Seine at this particular point was even satisfactory," the nonprofit said in a press release.
The results are based on only two types of bacteria and do not account for other chemical or biological pollutants.
"It is therefore clear that the athletes who will be taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic events planned for the Seine will be swimming in polluted water and taking significant risks to their health," the organization said.
Ahead of the Games, Ipsos, a global market researcher, found more than half of French residents are not confident their country can smoothly run the Olympics.
Only 36% of people polled believe that the Seine will be swimmable in time for the Opening Ceremony.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines