PARIS, FRANCE (WITN) – Due to high levels of bacteria, before Thursday, it had been 124 years since the Seine River was legally safe to swim in.

On Thursday, Paris officials said it’s “good enough” for swimming after postponing the Men’s triathlon event and training sessions.

The question of if the river would be ready in time for the games has been asked for months.

Heavy rains can overwhelm the city’s sewer system, allowing wastewater with bacteria to overflow into the river.

The opening ceremony was accompanied by heavy rain, which officials say likely caused the spike in bacteria levels. On Monday, the bacteria levels were around 1400 units, cancelling the Men’s triathlon for Tuesday.

The Paris government spent $1.5 billion to clean up the river. With the bacterial levels under 600 units on Wednesday, the men’s and women’s triathlon swimming portions were in the Seine.

“That’s the scientific results. We wait for the result to see if they are official or not. It’s not a kind of game or anything . We are really conscious about that… There is no question, no conspiracy about that, just fact,” said Deputy of Sport, Pierre Rabadan.

They shared that they plan to open the river for public swimming in the summer of 2025.