Explainer | Will the River Seine be suitable for swimming during the Paris Olympic Games?
- The Parisian waterway will hold the opening ceremony and two events, but its pollution levels have raised health concerns so close to the event
The River Seine will be a central element of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the opening ceremony taking place on the river with a boat parade and two events – the marathon swimming and the swimming leg of the triathlon – scheduled to be held there.
However, pollution levels in the Seine have raised health concerns for athletes.
Where do we stand now?
The monitoring group (State and City of Paris), based on Eau de Paris water analysis, publishes weekly results. The first three bulletins for the month of June showed the water quality was insufficient to allow bathing. However, the latest data published on Thursday showed that the river was suitable for swimming on six of the nine days between June 24 and July 2.
What conditions make the river suitable for swimming?
Testers measure the level of two bacteria: E coli (Escherichia coli) and Enterococcus faecalis.
According to European standards, the safe limit for E coli is 900 colony-forming units (cfu) per 100 millilitres while the threshold for Enterococcus is 330 cfu/100ml.
What factors influence the water quality?
According to Benjamin Raigneau, director of water quality at the Paris city hall, four main factors have an impact on water pollution:
Rainfall: More rain means more pollution run-off.
