The “river” Seine played a huge role in the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics on Friday. However, the Parisian poop water continues to cast doubt on the triathlon and swimming marathon after high levels of feces-based bacteria forced Sunday’s open water practice to be cancelled.
Time is running out for conditions to improve…
For those who have not been following along with our extensive coverage of the Seine here at BroBible.gov, welcome! This controversy (for lack of better word) has gone on for more than a year now and there are just a few days to get it figured out. Otherwise, a $1.5 billion cleanup effort was a waste— pun intended.
The Seine runs through the heart of Paris and plays a big role in the city’s landscape. Although it is referred to as a river, it is really just a drainage basin. Water runs 485 miles from Dijon, through the City of Lights, and discharges to the English Channel.
Swimming has been illegal in the Seine for more than 120 years because it is too dirty. Heavy rains overwhelm Paris’ infrastructure and cause literal sewage to leak into the basin. The poop water carries with it large levels of E. coli and other bacteria. That bacteria then spills into the Seine.
France spent a seven-figure amount on cleanup efforts so that both the swimming marathon and the swimming leg of the triathlon could be held in the Seine at the Olympics. We will have to wait and see!
It has been abnormally rainy in Paris over the last six months and water contamination has been a major issue. Bacteria levels have been too high to swim on more days than not. Even as recently as early July.
The good news is that there was a period of six days from July 10-16 that was clean enough to swim, so French officials went for a dip in the Seine to prove that it’s safe. The bad news is that there has been a lot of rain in Paris over the last week or so, including during the Olympics’ Opening Ceremonies.
Bacteria levels spiked to unsafe levels, once again, over the weekend. Triathletes had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course on Sunday. But not the swimming leg.
City and regional authorities, Olympic organizers and representatives of World Triathlon called it off because of the poor water quality. To say that it is less than ideal would be an understatement.
The men’s triathlon is scheduled for Tuesday. The women’s triathlon is scheduled for Wednesday.
Officials expect that competition will still take place as planned. Water quality typically returns to “safe” levels within 24 to 48 hours of heavy rains and there is not any more inclement weather in the forecast. It’s going to be dicey!