Paris reopens Seine River for swimming after 100 years — swim near Eiffel Tower
Photo: Seine opened for swimming in Paris (Getty Images)
In Paris, swimming in the Seine River was officially allowed for the first time in 100 years. Authorities opened three specially equipped swimming zones within the city, Reuters informs.
On Saturday, July 5, authorities opened the river for public swimming for the first time since 1923. This followed a large-scale cleanup operation, prompted by the river's use as a venue for the Paris Olympics last year.
According to local officials, three locations along the Seine's banks in the city will be able to accommodate more than 1,000 swimmers daily until August 31. This has delighted both Parisians and visitors.
"Really nice, I'm impressed, surprised. I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower," said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris.
Opening of the Seine in Paris
The restoration of the Seine for public swimming came after government efforts to improve water quality for the Olympic events held last summer.
The investments included:
- Connecting tens of thousands of homes to the sewage system;
- Modernizing water treatment facilities;
- Building large reservoirs to store rainwater and prevent sewage overflow during heavy rains.
Although delays caused by heavy rains affected some Olympic training sessions and the men's triathlon, the competitions in the Seine ultimately took place. This strengthened confidence in the river's safety for public swimming.
Currently, daily water quality checks will be conducted throughout the swimming season. Green and red flags, similar to beach safety systems, will indicate whether swimming zones are open or closed.
Besides the three locations in Paris, 14 additional swimming zones will be created outside the capital, along the Seine and Marne rivers. Two of these zones already opened on the Marne in June.
Last year, during the Olympics, the organizing committee was forced to move the men's triathlon. The reason was the deterioration of water quality in the Seine after a rainy weekend.
Cleaning Paris's water artery for the competitions was one of the local authorities' priorities.
