Olympics facing $1.5 billion failure after shock new revelation about River Seine water quality
The quality of the water when the Paris Mayor took a dip was below the required standards.
The latest tests on the water quality of the River Seine have revealed it to be below the standards needed to authorise swimming - and it also was when Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicised dip last week before the Olympics. The quality of the water in the iconic river was been a massive concern for athletes competing in the triathlon and marathon swim in Paris.
Hidalgo jumped into the river for a swim to dispel concerns around the water, but the latest test results have painted a grim picture. Daily water quality tests have been measuring levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.
Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris showed on June 17 that E. coli levels were above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres - determined by European rules. The site at the Bras Marie reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris Oympics chief Tony Estanguet. Top government official Marc Guillaume also joined them, along with numerous swimmers from local swimming clubs.
Rain during Olympics opening ceremony makes situation worse
The water quality is linked with the weather in the French capital, and heavy rain during the opening ceremony on Friday night has made the situation worse. There are now grave concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host the swimming events in Paris. However the results were below the threshold at another two measuring points further downstream, giving organisers hope.
A statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is set to host the triathlon and marathon swimming events. The statement noted "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," which helps explain fluctuating test results.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Organisers have poured around $1.5 billion into preparing the Seine for the Olympics and trying to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games have concluded. Since 2015, a giant underground water storage basin has been constructed in central Paris, sewer infrastructure has been renovated and wastewater treatment plants upgraded.
Earlier this month, University of Western Sydney professor Ian Wright told Yahoo News Australia: "It's a really, really bold move they're proposing (to hold events in the river). It's really going to depend on the rain. If they get several days of medium to heavy rain, it'll be dangerous. That's my prediction."
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Water quality not the only issue plaguing Paris Olympics officials
The issue with the Seine's water quality is just one of a number of issues organisers have been forced to tackle. Athletes have been forced to deal with transport issues and have been warned about leaving the athletes' village due to crime.
And the country's high-speed rail network has been hit by widespread and "criminal" acts of vandalism, including arson attacks. The attacks paralysed travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony.
Officials condemned the attacks as "criminal actions", although they stressed there was no sign of a direct link to the Game. Prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation, saying the crimes could carry sentences of 15 to 20 years.
with agencies
