With just 50 days to go until the opening of the Paris Olympics, questions remain about whether the Seine will be able to be used for open water and triathlon events.
Recent water quality tests carried out by Surfrider Foundation Europe showed levels of E. coli and enterococcus bacteria “higher than the standards set by sports federations and European bathing standards”. AFP.
Surfrider is a non-profit organisation that regularly tests the water quality of the Seine. They test specifically for E. coli and Enterococcus, collecting samples from the Pont de l'Alma and Pont Alexandre III, which will be in use during the Olympics. In April they published the results of a six-month study, which showed that only one of the samples was of good quality for the two types of bacteria.
same AFP “The levels of E. coli measured at the Pont Alexandre III were more than three times the maximum levels approved by the National Federation of Triathlon and Open Water Swimming,” the report said.
Heavy rains in May are believed to be the main factor behind Surfrider's “poor water quality,” which also forced organizers to postpone rehearsals for the opening ceremony on the Seine for a second time because water levels were too high.
Paris authorities recently opened the Austerlitz Water Tank, which can store 13.2 million gallons of water and is due to be operational in early June, to prevent the city's sewer system, which carries both storm water and sewage, from becoming overwhelmed and draining it all into the Seine.
However, even this tank cannot completely eliminate the threat of rain. Pierre Laabadin Said The New York Times If it rains a week before the Olympics, “we know that despite all the work we've done, the water quality probably won't be good.”
Organizers had maintained all spring that there were no alternative venues if the Seine's water quality was poor. Tony Estanguet, The president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee warned of the impact of heavy rain at a press conference in April. At the press conference, he reiterated, “The first step in responding to an unforeseen event is to postpone the date. That is why we planned the triathlon at the beginning of the Games.”
The individual triathlon events are scheduled for July 30 and 31, and the mixed relay for August 5. There is less flexibility for the open water swimming event, scheduled for August 8 and 9. The International Federation of Triathlons may also decide to shorten the triathlon to a duathlon.
according to Associated Press, During the event, officials will test the Seine's water quality every day at 3 a.m. to determine whether the event can go ahead. Surfrider said on its website that it is currently unable to continue monitoring the river's water quality. The closure of the quays ahead of the event means the organization is unable to do so, but in an open letter it requested continued access to sampling sites for the duration of the event.
So while organizers declared construction “on schedule” at the Austerlitz Basin inauguration, the new infrastructure does not fully answer lingering questions about water quality — and as floods in March and heavy rains in May showed, those questions will likely remain throughout the Olympics.
Both French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have pledged to swim in the Seine before the Olympics, and organisers have repeatedly said they are so confident there is “no alternative”.
