The Seine River, crossing the French capital, has long been a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike, be it cruising underneath the Eiffel Tower or just enjoying a walk on its banks. One thing people have not been able to do for a century however is swim in the river.
In 1923, a law banned swimming in the Seine due to health concerns over pollution levels. The city of Paris however plans to reverse that over the next two years. Plans to clean up the river in time for the 2024 Olympics were already announced in 2021, but now the city promises to make sure the public will also be able to swim in the Seine from 2025, allocating a budget of €1.4 billion for the project.
Suitable bathing sites are already being studied in the capital: two on the banks of the Parc Rives de Seine (Paris Centre), one on the Le bras Marie (Paris Centre), one at the port of Bercy (12th), and one on the Allée du Bord-de-l’Eau in the Bois de Boulogne (16th). In total, about twenty potential sites spread over 16 municipalities of the Greater Paris Metropolis, bordered either by the Seine or by the Marne, have now been identified.
No more black water from the toilets and grey water from the shower, the dishes and the washing machine that end up in the Seine!
Paris City Hall
Upstream from Paris, the local authorities responsible for sanitation and the water agency are also working to eradicate some 23,000 poor connections in private homes whose wastewater ends up in the river. Boats moored in Paris must also comply with standards.
Furthermore, to prevent rainwater for saturating sewage networks which would then overflow into the Seine, the city is creating urban developments to use this water, including for cooling public spaces and watering urban vegetation. Storage basins are also being built to ensure temporarily retain excess water before gradually returning it to the sewer network, then treating it in treatment plants.
In the meantime, the public sanitation service of the Paris region is building twos wastewater disinfection and treatment plants, on which a large part of the improvement in water quality is based. These are planned to become operational in the summer of 2023.
Before the public is allowed to enjoy a swim in the Seine, several Olympics and Paralympics open-water races, including the 10km freestyle, as well as the triathlon are meant to take place in the river.
Moreover, the opening ceremony will also be hosted on the Seine, the first time in Olympic history it will not take place in a stadium. Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, with boats for each national delegation. The parade will come to the end of its 6 km route in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.
