Latest tests show Seine water quality was substandard when Paris mayor took a dip
Latest tests show Seine water quality was substandard when Paris mayor took a dip
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo exits the Seine river after a swim, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine river, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People swim in the Seine river after Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine Rive, fulfilling a promise she made in January nine days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo exits the Seine river after a swim, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo exits the Seine river after a swim, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris. After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise she made months ago to show the river is clean enough to host open-swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away.(Joel Saget, Pool via AP)
Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.
Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.
Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on July 17, when the mayor took a dip.
The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.
At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.
The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.
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It noted that “the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer,” explaining fluctuating test results.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
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This story has been corrected to show that the mayor’s dip in the Seine was on July 17, not June 17.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games