On March 30th, 2024, the 169th annual men's Oxford-Cambridge Boat race was held on the River Thames in England. Not only did Oxford walk away with a disappointing loss, giving Cambridge their 87th win (to Oxford’s 81), some Oxford athletes may have had to deal with another sickening feeling in their gut - E. Coli. Oxford University boat club has said that three of their athletes have come down with a stomach bug, but have not disclosed the exact causes. Ahead of the race, the River Thames was tested for E. coli by the environmental group River Action, who found E. coli levels “up to 10 times higher than what U.K. environmental authorities consider the worst category for public bathing”(CBS News). Levels this high can only feasibly come from raw and/or treated sewage, which suggests that the nearby utility company, Thames Water, has been discharging sewage into the river. Coincidentally, Thames Water is “the only company responsible for sewage treatment on the Thames"(The Guardian). As of now, Thames Water has blamed the high rainfall for the readings, but they may face consequences further down the line.
Clay Stauffer