PARIS — A light breeze, a gentle stream and bright sunlight weren't all three kayakers wanted on a warm spring day as they meandered down the Seine River. I was also looking for trash.
By attaching nylon stockings to the sides of their kayaks, they scooped up small pieces of plastic and even the detritus of everyday life in the French capital that washes up on the river every time it rains. Members of the Arc de Seine Kayaking Club then sent what they had collected to be tested for bacterial levels.
“My kayak capsized this morning, but I'm OK,” Paul Mercado told NBC News with a laugh Sunday from Pont de Sèvres in central Paris.
But while Marcado, 40, and his boating friends say they are not afraid to go into the river with less than 100 days until the 2024 Paris Olympics, events such as marathon swimming, triathlons and paratriathlons have been canceled. There are growing concerns that this may become the case. High levels of pollution could result in postponements or cancellations, or impact on fleet-based opening ceremonies.
Earlier this month, Paris organizing committee president Tony Estingue expressed confidence that “the Seine can be used,” but warned that the swimming leg of the triathlon could be canceled if pollution levels become too high. acknowledged. “Of course that's something we want to avoid,” he said.
His comments came days after a French charity warned that there was far more bacteria in the river than was allowed, including “faecal contamination.”
As part of an ambitious plan to open the Seine to public swimmers by 2025, after having been illegal for 100 years due to dangerously high pollution levels, France is renovating and upgrading the city's aging sewage system. It cost 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to renovate. This tank now includes his 13 million gallon overflow tank called the Austerlitz Basin.
However, in August, the swimming portion of the test marathon was canceled after the river failed a pollution test.
As the starting gun approaches for the Games, Fluidion, one of the companies contracted by the City of Paris to monitor bacteria in the water, shared its findings exclusively with NBC News.
Water samples taken from the Alexander III Bridge in the city center found E. coli levels 2.5 times higher than the level considered safe for swimming.
But that's not necessarily a concern for the tournament itself, said Dan Angelescu, CEO of Fluidion, a high-tech company that develops water testing products.
“In the summer, when you have a lot of sunlight, water flow, river flow is very low, and it doesn’t rain for a few weeks, say two or three weeks, you can get to really good water, quality conditions. “, he said in an interview this month.
But even a small amount of rain can cause E. coli levels to spike, he added.
“If you swim in highly contaminated water, nothing may happen; if you do, you may get itchy skin, develop an infection, or contract a potentially pathogenic strain of E. coli. “Maybe,” he said. “They're not very common, but they do exist, and they can cause serious illness.”
But he added that exposure to other pathogens associated with the presence of E. coli can lead to norovirus and diarrhea, “or you can get certain illnesses that can actually be fatal.” he warned.
To boost public confidence, French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have pledged to swim in the river to prove it is clean.
Pierre-Antoine Molina, director of public policy in Paris, echoed similar sentiments. He said in an interview Monday that water pollution in the river is “gradually improving.”
He added that efforts to improve the city's sewage system have led to the modernization of sewage treatment plants and improvements to the network that separates sewage and stormwater.
“This is an ancient city that dates back to Roman times, so it's necessarily a big job,” he says, adding that a lot of buildings were built after World War II and that “the sewage systems weren't always able to cope.” ” he added.
About 30 miles downstream from Paris, 50-year-old Edouard Combet fearlessly plunged headfirst into the famous waterway that has inspired artists such as Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
“Life is good here,” he said after coming up for air, adding that he didn't know if the water was completely safe.
“Don't drink the water. You can swim, but don't drink alcohol,” he said. “I never heard of him dying or getting sick.”
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com
