Faecal contamination of the Seine, which winds 777 kilometres through northern France, exceeded the for safe swimming just before the men’s and women’s triathlon races. Athletes testing the waters before making the plunge to compete have become accustomed to such setbacks. Just a year earlier, the and the in the Seine were cancelled due to the low quality of the water. No wonder were worried ahead of Paris 2024.
The Seine is burdened with an enormous population ( live in the region surrounding Paris) and a that cannot easily dilute pollution. A 19th-century is expected to manage a lot of wastewater: rainwater flows over roads, fields and rooftops and enters the sewer system, accumulating oil, heavy metals, animal faeces and pesticides along the way.
Combined with untreated sewage from homes and businesses, often strains the capacity of the network and . To prevent backflow, untreated wastewater is discharged into the Seine through 200 outlets. This is commonly known as a .
The result is a murkier river with dissolved in it and a higher concentration of . During one intense rainstorm, the level of E coli and Enteroccus bacteria discharged into the Seine from one outfall rose compared to a dry weather period.
Climate change could degrade the river further. climate models project more downpours during the summer. The years 2016, 2022, 2023 and now 2024 have all seen heavy rainfall during .
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For the full article by Jamie Wilks and Lois Mougin visit .
ENDS