French officials marked a significant milestone on Thursday with the inauguration of a vast water storage basin designed to improve the cleanliness of the River Seine. The basin is set to play a crucial role in hosting marathon swimming events during the Paris Games, as well as serving as the swimming leg for Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.
Last year, swimming test events faced cancellation due to poor water quality, attributed in part to heavy rains overwhelming the city’s outdated sewer systems, resulting in a mixture of rainwater and untreated sewage flowing into the Seine, thereby failing to meet safety standards.
The newly constructed reservoir adjacent to Paris’ Austerlitz train station aims to alleviate this issue by collecting excess rainwater and preventing bacteria-laden wastewater from contaminating the river. With the capacity to hold the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools of polluted water, the reservoir will now facilitate treatment of this water rather than its direct discharge into the Seine through storm drains.
“We are on time,” affirmed Marc Guillaume, the prefect of the Paris region. “The commencement of the Games will coincide with water quality suitable for competition. This represents a tremendous collective achievement.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hildago pledged to personally swim in the Seine before the Olympics, possibly alongside President Emmanuel Macron. She emphasized that the new storage basin ensures water can be retained even during severe storms, aiding in the swift restoration of normal water levels.
The inauguration of the basin marks the latest stride toward a cleaner river and is part of a series of infrastructure developments, including the recent opening of a water treatment plant in Champigny-sur-Marne, east of Paris, last month.
During the Olympics, water quality will be monitored daily at 3 a.m. to determine if events can proceed as planned. Organizers stated that if results fall short of standards, events may be postponed for a few days.
The estimated cost of the cleanup efforts totals 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion), funded by both state and local authorities.
“For over a decade now, we have witnessed a significant improvement in Seine water quality, and our river's fish and wildlife have made a comeback,” remarked Hidalgo.
The River Seine, once heavily polluted due to industrial activities, now hosts around 35 fish species in the Paris section, a notable increase from just three in the 1970s.
Paris officials are also preparing to open several bathing sites to the public in the summer, starting from next year. Additionally, the Seine will be central to the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, featuring over 200 athlete delegations parading on more than 80 boats in central Paris.
