With one year left until the Olympics, Paris is in the final stages of an unprecedented cleanup effort, paving the way for swimmers and divers to return to the River Seine. Swimming in the Seine had been prohibited for a century due to its polluted waters, but a successful €1.4bn regeneration project has changed the landscape. The upcoming Games will feature three Olympic and Paralympic events taking place in the Seine, and by 2025, three open-air swimming areas will be accessible from the quayside.

The city’s river quality had deteriorated over the years due to industrial sewage and a growing population, leading to a decline in aquatic life. One of the main challenges was the outdated drainage system, which combined used water from kitchens and bathrooms with sewage from toilets. However, improvements in the last two decades have already significantly reduced the presence of harmful bacteria in the river.

To address the remaining issue, a vast underground reservoir has been constructed to store runoff during heavy rains, preventing it from directly entering the Seine. This will enable the river to be officially classified as clean and safe for public bathing.

In addition to fish returning to the Seine, including some reintroduced by angling associations, the river’s ecosystem has seen a positive transformation with the resurgence of molluscs, aquatic insects, sponges, and crayfish. Although some concerns remain about rats in the city, studies have shown that the amount of leptospirosis bacteria is not abnormally high.

With the successful cleanup efforts, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has revealed three spots along the Seine that will be open for public bathing from summer 2025, allowing both fish and humans to reclaim their place in the revitalized river.

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