The microbiological quality of the Seine River
Competitive swimming in open waters is a recent addition to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the first triathlon organized in Sidney Harbour in 2000. In 2024, it has been proposed the triathlon and marathon swims in Paris take place on the Seine River. However, the microbiological quality of urban waters can be impaired seriously by discharges of raw sewage or insufficiently treated wastewater effluents during dry and wet weather.
The safety of the athletes could, thus, be in question, as was the case during the 2016 Olympics. This study assembles the available data on the present microbiological quality of the Seine River, both upstream from Paris and within downtown Paris. The estimations of quality are derived from the concentrations of fecal bacterial indicators (Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci) and diverse pathogens. Although the microbial quality of the Seine River has greatly improved over the past decades, the potential venue for the triathlon and marathon swims, near the Trocadero, still does not comply with the quality of water recommended by the Bathing Waters European Directive (2006/7/EC).
The densities of Giardia, Cryptosporidium and enteric viruses measured in the surface waters indicate a sanitary risk for the athletes. In order to improve the quality of the water of swimming venues, organizers usually carry out mitigation efforts. For instance, for 2024, the major sources of contamination have been identified upstream from the proposed venue site and coordinated solutions to improve the microbiological quality are being deployed at the scale of the watershed by the stakeholders and the city of Paris.
Authors: Françoise Lucas, Bernard de Gouvello, Jean-Marie Mouchel, Laurent Moulin, Pierre Servais, Sébastien Wurtzer
Source: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/
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