‘After the Games, we will have a swimming pool in the river’: Paris mayor takes dip in Seine amid E. coli bacteria concerns

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN

(CNN) — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the city’s River Seine on Wednesday in a bid to demonstrate the cleanliness of the river for the Olympics.

Triathlon events are due to start at the city’s Alexandre III Bridge later this month, but official testing by the city has shown E. coli bacteria levels have been above acceptable levels on the majority of days between June 3 and July 2, which would potentially expose athletes to serious health risks.

The 65 year-old Hidalgo dunked her head in the river as she swam Wednesday, after previously claiming the water would be “depolluted, that’s for sure.” Last week French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra also swam in the Seine.

“It’s very, very cool to be here and it was a dream and now it’s real … after the Games we will have a swimming pool in the river for all the people, for the Parisian people and for the tourists also,” Hidalgo told reporters after the swim.

Despite a 1.4 billion Euro (1.5 billion USD) clean-up plan for the Seine, where swimming has been illegal for more than 100 years due to pollution levels, concerns remain over the river’s suitability for swimming events.

Official data shows one-off rainfall events can quickly cause E. coli levels to spike again, and as recently as June 30, following rain the previous day, E. coli levels increased to around 2000 CFU/100mL at Alexandra III Bridge. That’s double the level needed for “good” water quality, as per World Triathlon standards.

Tests last week for the first time showed acceptable bacteria levels, according to a statement by the mayor’s office.

The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics is set to take place on the Seine on July 26 if currents are not too strong, and Paris 2024 shares the view that sunshine and higher temperatures have brought about a significant improvement in water quality, CNN previously reported.

A recent rehearsal on June 24 was cancelled due to strong water flows caused by heavy rainfall. The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is on July 26.

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CNN’s Julen Chavin, Joseph Ataman, Samantha Tapfumaneyi and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.