River Seine fails water quality tests 30 days from Paris Olympics
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00:00It's due to host two Olympic sports events in under 30 days' time, but the pollution
00:06levels in the River Seine are still too high.
00:10Recent water quality tests show levels of E. coli bacteria are 10 times higher than
00:15the standards set by World Triathlon.
00:18And quantities of enterococci bacteria are also at unsafe levels.
00:23Meaning athletes could risk getting diseases like gastroenteritis or skin conditions.
00:29Less than one year ago, athletes from across the world had dived into the Seine during
00:34a test triathlon event.
00:36Some record not being able to see the end of their arm in the water, but that it hadn't
00:41been so bad.
00:42A world away from the 1930s, when hundreds of Parisians would participate in the annual
00:48Seine swimming races.
00:49It seems to be a good thing to start last in this annual race through Paris, because
00:53the River Seine gets so full you could almost walk over the swimmers in front.
00:58French authorities have spent the last 10 years cleaning up the river by improving
01:02the sewerage system and building new water treatment and storage facilities.
01:07A project which has cost them 1.4 billion euros.
01:12But despite their efforts, recent weeks of heavy rainfall coupled with an overwhelmed
01:17wastewater network has left the Seine still dirty.
01:21Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who promised to do a test swim on June 26th, has also had
01:26to postpone her dip in the Seine until after the legislative elections.