A New Lease of Life for Paris' River Seine: Swimming Returns after a Century!
Enjoying a Swim in the Seine: Paris to Establish Three Swimming Locations in July - Enjoying a Dip in the Seine: Paris to Offer Three Swimming Spots in July
Get ready, Paris! After a century-long hiatus, the city's riverside will once again witness people splashing around, with the reopening of three supervised swimming spots in July. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a long-time advocate for swimming in the Seine, has been instrumental in making this happen.
While the swimming activity will temporarily halt if the current becomes too violent or after heavy rainfall affects water quality, rest assured that daily water checks will ensure the water is fresh and safe. Upheavals during the 2024 Olympic Games, where competitions had to be postponed due to water contamination after heavy rain, are a thing of the past.
For many years, nearly 23,000 Parisian households used to discharge their waste directly into the Seine or the Marne, earning the river the unsavory nickname of "Paris' toilet." However, with a hefty investment of around 1.4 billion euros, the state has brought about a dramatic change to improve the Seine's health. As a result, an additional 2,000 households that were previously directly connected to the river have been linked to the sewage system since last year.
Teams have been door-to-door, convincing reluctant residents to embrace this change. Even the operators of pleasure and houseboats on the Seine have been made to toe the line, stopping their illegal waste disposal practices. Moreover, a massive overflow basin near the Austerlitz train station has been built to protect the sewage system from flooding during heavy rain. It can store up to 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools' worth of water!
Tracing back to 1900, swimming competitions were held in the Seine during the Summer Olympics, occurring outside the city. Paris even boasted several floating baths that drew water from the Seine until the swimming ban in 1923.
Paris, Seine, Clean-up Operation, Anne Hidalgo, Competing, Olympic Games, Rain
In the heart of the upcoming Olympic Games, Paris will resume its historic swimming competitions along the Seine, a testament to Mayor Anne Hidalgo's relentless efforts. However, a sudden downpour may temporarily halt the activities or affect water quality, as was the case during the 2024 Olympics preparations.
