The water quality of the Seine was finally sufficient on Sunday to authorize the pre-Olympic Games swimming test, canceled due to pollution of the river, but the results of the official analyzes were not known until Monday, said the mayor of Paris to AFP. “The laboratory result arrived today (Monday) confirmed that on Sunday morning, we were under the thresholds at all the survey points” located on the Olympic route, between the Alexandre-III bridge and that of Alma, has said sports assistant Pierre Rabadan to AFP.
On Sunday, the international swimming federation, World Aquatics, announced the cancellation of an open water swimming World Cup event in the same place, a prefiguration of the Olympic event which is to be held there in a year. due to water quality “below acceptable standards”. The last water analysis dating back to 24 hours, carried out on the night of Friday to Saturday, was established at 1,300 (CFU / 100 ml) for the bacterium Escherichia Coli, while World Aquatics imposes a rate lower than 1,000 CFU for 100 ml for holding the competition.
At issue: persistent rains earlier in the week, which overflowed sewers and washed sewage back into the river. The instant readings taken by the town hall showed results “below 1,000” but “they are not part of the international federation’s analysis process”, which is based on laboratory readings known 24 hours later, had explained Pierre Rabadan.
According to the town hall, these official readings finally gave 911 UFC/100 ml. “The shift in samples” therefore got the better of the ordeal, laments Pierre Rabadan. A new disappointment during the triathlon test, scheduled for August 17 to 20, would be worrying for the organizing committee of the Paris Olympics, but also for the mayor Anne Hidalgo who promises future swimming in the Seine for 2025.
Several projects are underway to prevent the discharge of wastewater into the river, which occurs in the event of heavy rains. “Without a doubt, if the works had been ready (…), there would have been no problem”, underlines Mr. Rabadan.
