After the pollution of the Seine caused at the end of August by a malfunctioning valve in the Parisian sewer system, the river will be monitored even more closely, including its sewer networks as well as the connections of boats and barges, said the city of Paris and the prefecture of Île-de-France (Prif) on Tuesday in a statement.
This pollution had prevented the holding of pre-Olympic triathlon test events in August. “The conduct of the events highlighted the need to strengthen monitoring, control, and alert systems to limit any risk of unplanned discharge into the Seine during dry weather,” they wrote after a meeting on the pre-Olympic test events of the summer. The valve of the Tolbiac water treatment plant was “damaged during the storms” and “became leaky,” confirmed the incident report conducted by the services of the city of Paris.
Ten months before the Olympics and to prevent this type of incident, the authorities have decided to “strengthen monitoring of sewer networks in Paris and upstream” (“storm overflows,” “outfalls from Siapp factories (Parisian sewage system),” “emergency pumping facilities”).
But also to look into other potential sources of pollution, “mobilizing actors present on the river and in the immediate vicinity,” such as boat connections or “evacuation systems of establishments receiving the public along the Seine” and “sanitary installations on the quayside.” Dedicated surveillance teams capable of intervening in the event of pollution discharge will also be put in place.
The organizers of the Paris Olympics faced serious setbacks this summer during these test events. Before the cancellation of the two triathlon events (para and mixed), the open water swimming events had to be cancelled due to pollution caused by an unusual summer rainfall episode.
These competitions in the Seine are a precursor to the future swimming promised for 2025 by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (PS), in three locations, even though swimming has been prohibited there since 1923.
