Seine sewage: a timeline of an Olympic clean-up gone wrong

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The swimming portion of the Olympic triathlon training in Paris has been cancelled again due to unsafe water quality in the Seine River, which was found to contain high levels of E. coli bacteria
• This raises concerns about whether the river will be clean enough for athletes during the Games

🔭 The context: Paris has invested €1.4 billion in efforts to clean the Seine, including constructing a giant basin to capture rainwater and prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river
• Despite these efforts, recent tests showed unsafe bacteria levels, even when high-profile officials swam to showcase the river's cleanliness

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Seine's pollution highlights broader issues of water quality management and the challenges cities face in rehabilitating urban waterways for recreational use

⏭️ What's next: Olympic organizers are monitoring the water quality daily and hope for improved conditions to allow swimming events to proceed as planned
• Further cancellations could impact the overall schedule and athlete performance

💬 One quote: "Hopefully we get to swim, bike and run because I don’t swim this much to just run and bike," said American triathlete Taylor Spivey

📈 One stat: On July 17, 2024, water tests showed E. coli levels at 985 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, exceeding the European safety limit of 900

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