Recent water samples taken from the Seine indicated that levels of two types of bacteria remained dangerously high, according to data released by the Ile-de-France regional prefecture and the Paris municipality.
Concentrations of E. coli and enterococci — microbes that come from raw sewage and can cause gastrointestinal infections — were about six times higher than those normally observed during this season, noted the report, published on Friday.
Following the issuance of these results, which have been updated on a weekly basis, an opening ceremony rehearsal that had been scheduled for Monday was canceled, Euronews reported.
This is not the first postponement of the rehearsal, which was supposed to feature about 90 barges to transport teams down river.
A similar decision was made two weeks ago, when tests deemed the Seine too dirty for triathlon and open-water swimming events scheduled to take place there, according to France24.
Amid the ongoing contamination controversy, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has repeatedly maintained that the water would be safe for upcoming athletic events — even promising to take a dip in the river herself.
However, she rescheduled plans to do so this past weekend, explaining that the delay was due to ongoing elections, rather than to pollution, NBC News reported.
Levels of E. coli and enterococci surged due to intense rainfall and subsequent flooding of the Yonne River, which is a left-bank tributary of the Seine, according to the Ile-de-France assessment.
The report described the test results, administered strategically at four distinct spots, as “a precise indication of the microbiological quality of water on the entire length of the river in Paris.”
Despite these wastewater woes, the report stressed that no major sewage discharge has occurred in Paris upstream of the Olympic games site.
“Like any living organism, bacteria disappear with the weather,” the document stated, noting that sun, heat and slower summer flow can accelerate that decline.
But for now, the report acknowledged, the Seine’s “very high flow” and unfavorable hydrological conditions have been able to “significantly slow down the natural process of bacterial decay.”
The triathlon event is slated to take place on July 30 and 31, while a mixed relay is scheduled for Aug. 5 and marathon swimming for August 8 and 9, according to NBC.
Hidalgo has been reiterating the river’s safety, describing it as “ready,” NBC reported.
“I want to swim in the River Seine before the opening ceremony,” she added.
