With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, all eyes were on the Seine, an iconic river and the venue for the open water swimming events. As athletes prepared to dive into its waters, water quality became a major concern. The latest samples taken from several strategic sites, notably at the Alexandre III bridge and the Bercy basin, revealed worrying results.
Between intestinal enterococci, Escherichia coli, and other bacteria, the question of whether pollution thresholds met European guidelines became important. The capricious weather of recent weeks, marked by intense storms, only heightened the authorities' and associations' fears like Surfrider.
In the wake of the ceremony on Sunday, August 11, which concluded the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, revelations began to emerge. Contrary to what the Organizing Committee of the Games claimed, the quality of the Seine's water was insufficient according to statements from Médiapart. So what are the health risks?
What are the risks of poor quality?
When analyses are conducted, the levels of Escherichia coli and Enterococci are sought. These are bacteria that impair water quality when present in excessive quantities. Athletes were therefore at risk of gastroenteritis or skin disease.
Swimmer's dermatitis is characterized by itching that appears when you are in poor quality water. These are often waterways where aquatic birds and water snails live. Another risk should not be overlooked since the Leptospirosis is a reality due to the invasion of rats in Paris. It causes vomiting and a high fever as well as headaches and diarrhea.
Moreover, the levels tend to rise after storms since heavy rains cause wastewater treatment plants to overflow. Wastewater then ends up in the Seine and this happened before the launch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
|
Diseases |
Symptoms |
|
Gastroenteritis |
Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever |
|
Swimmer's dermatitis |
Itching, rashes, redness |
|
Leptospirosis |
High fever, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, chills |
What budget is needed for the Seine to be 'swimmable'?
The Île-de-France region launched in 2015 a plan of 1.4 billion euros. The project was financed by the prefect of the region, the city of Paris, the Seine Normandy water agency notably spent 700 million euros, the public sanitation service of Île-de-France (SIAAP), the Seine-Saint-Denis department, and Seine et Marne.
In parallel with the funding, it was also necessary to bring several upstream areas up to standard, whether in La Marne or the Seine. The Austerlitz retention basin was created for example for 100 million euros. Its role is to absorb heavy rains. It is a tank 35 liters high and 50 meters in diameter.
A collector of 8.8 km between Athis-Mons and Valenton has been developed for a budget of 300 million euros.
The official analysis results of the Water of Paris
The newspaper Médiapart was able to read the report made by this laboratory linked to the city of Paris, the results are quite concerning: the quality of the Seine's water was sufficient for the athletes to swim only 20% of the time.
- Since the beginning of the Olympic Games, the water quality levels set by World Triathlon were only met on July 30 and 31.
- For Escherichia coli, the French Swimming Federation imposes a rate of 1000 CFU per 100 ml, but the last measurement showed 1300 CFU per 100 ml on August 3.
- On July 31, the triathlon athletes (men and women) were able to dive into the Seine.
- In light of the results, all training sessions have been postponed since the quality of the Seine's water was not as expected.
However, on August 5, the athletes swam in water that did not meet standards! In any case, access to the analyses is relatively difficult. Even the city of Paris has stopped its weekly bulletin. For its part, the ARS of Île-de-France does not want to disclose the health advisories requested by the prefecture.
The athletes were informed of the analyses
Before swimming in the Seine as part of the triathlon events, the athletes were able to consult the various analyses according to the Organizing Committee of the Games. They would therefore not have refused to swim despite reports showing elevated levels, particularly on August 5, the day of the mixed relay.
3 athletes vomited after swimming in the Seine
The promises were therefore to offer events in the Seine with water quality up to expectations. However, on August 10, Léonie Beck specified on social media that she had been sick on Thursday: "I vomited 9 times yesterday and had diarrhea. The quality of the Seine is validated."
Two other German swimmers experienced vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea following the open water event. The German confederation made a point specifying that this event was feasible given the analyses, but that would not be the case according to rumors.
For his part, Jolin Vermeylen stated that he had drunk a lot of water from the Seine and that he had especially felt and seen things "that one shouldn't think too much about. The Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can't say that the safety of the athletes is a priority. That's nonsense."
The Olympic Games were not the only goal for the city of Paris; it wants tourists and residents to be able to swim after this sporting event. Three swimming sites will be opened next summer, and they will be monitored and marked by buoys.
Spaces will be arranged with areas to change and shower… We will need to monitor the evolution of analyses in the coming months.
10 years of lies for the city of Paris?
In 2014, Anne Hidalgo announced that she wanted to host the Olympic Games in Paris with triathlon events in the Seine. However, we must not forget that 4 cholera epidemics caused 80,000 deaths in the 19th century. The capital thus has a past marked by dirt, and the latest rat infestations illustrate this perfectly, just like pollution.
Sewers receive an astronomical amount of hydrocarbons and heavy metals after storms. This is why infrastructures have been built, but can we really imagine that the Seine is "swimmable"? Given the sick athletes and the analysis results that are difficult to obtain, doubts still linger about the quality of the Seine's water.
Don't forget that the water you consume can lead to the same diseases, which is why it is essential to filter it. We offer you an innovative system with a gravity filter that removes more than 99% of bacteria. You may not be able to swim in the Seine, but you will at least have quality water to consume safely thanks to Weeplow!
