Following the wake of several Olympic athletes getting sick after swimming in Paris’ Seine River, swimmers, rowers and sailors are urging Congress to pass the bipartisan BEACH Act and increase funding for water testing.
Environment America, a national network of 30 state environmental groups, delivered a letter signed by 128 water athletes, including two current and one former U.S. Olympic Team members, to U.S. Representatives.
Direct exposure to water-borne pathogens, from fecal bacteria to a variety of viruses, threatens athletes during competitions, as seen with illnesses and event delays on the Seine River at the Paris Olympics.
The BEACH Act would renew and update the U.S. national beach testing program to provide crucial information so competition officials and athletes can determine how safe the waterway is.
Widespread water contamination also affects millions of non-athletes who can end up with symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and skin rashes.
According to an Environment America press release, this year alone, beach closures from Boston and Florida to California have underscored the urgency of better public information.
According to Environment America Research & Policy Center, 55% of tested beaches nationwide had potentially unsafe fecal contamination levels on at least one occasion in 2022.
Advocates and athletes are hoping that Congress will take up the BEACH Act when members return from August recess. The bill would first need a hearing in the House Water Resource & Environment Subcommittee chaired by Representative David Rouzer, who is also a co-sponsor of the measure.
Beyond testing, advocates are urging Congress to restore funding for water infrastructure–to stop the sewage overflows and runoff pollution that bring fecal bacteria and viruses to waterways.
“The 2028 Summer Olympic Games will be here on U.S. soil–and in U.S. waters in and around Los Angeles. We can, and need to, do better when it comes to having clean, safe water for athletes, spectators and the people who live near the Games,” said Environment America’s Clean Water Program Director John Rumpler in a press release.
“There’s no time to waste. The sooner we fix our water infrastructure, the sooner all Americans, athletes or not, can have safer water to swim, boat and play in,” said Rumpler.
