PARIS REOPENS THE RIVER SEINE FOR PUBLIC SWIMMING

On Sunday, July 6, 2025, Paris reopened the Seine River for public swimming after a ban issued more than a hundred years ago. According to BBC News, there are three designated sites set up along the River Seine for general public access until the end of August 2025. The access will be free of charge as long as the minimum age of ten or fourteen (depending on the site) requirement is met.

For over one hundred years, swimming was prohibited in the Seine due to the high levels of river pollution. The French government spent more than 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean and sanitize the Seine before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

The effort to clean the Seine involved connecting all houseboats to the municipal sewage system, as these homes had previously dumped waste in the Seine. In addition, the French government improved water treatment facilities and built substantial rainwater storage reservoirs.

However, there are still safety concerns about the water. According to Dan Angelescu, the founder and CEO of Fluidion, a water monitoring company, “The water quality in the Seine is highly variable. There are only a few days in a swimming season when I would say water quality is acceptable for swimming.” Many Parisians are also skeptical about the safety of the water because of its murky colors , floating litter, as well as tourist boats around the swimming locations. Enys Mahdjoub, a real estate agent, claims that people are not afraid of swimming, but instead “a bit disgusted. It’s more the worry of getting dirty than anything else at the moment.”

Now, there are three swimming sites on the Seine in Paris, one near the Eiffel Tower, one near the Notre Dame Cathedral, and one in eastern Paris. Each site has a capacity for 300 people and also contains facilities such as changing rooms, showers, and beach furniture.

Each of the sites has many safety features as well. Officials say they have instituted safety measures, such as daily water pollution testing and lifeguards. In addition, flags indicate water pollution levels. In the event that it rains, the sites will be closed the next day for cleaning.

In addition to the current three sites, there are also plans to open more sites on the River Seine. Moreover, it was said that the river Marne will also be open to the public.

Link to articles:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/clyz91nld28o

https://apnews.com/article/paris-swimming-seine-river-public-6ff093114f6addf0489b2bea952789e1

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/06/paris-river-seine-public-swimming-after-century-long-ban