Are they swimming in the Seine for the Olympics 2024?
The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is viewed as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, when open water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters which were specially cleaned for the event. Like many old cities around the world, Paris has a combined sewer system, which means wastewater and storm water flow through the same pipes. Those pipes can reach capacity when it rains long and hard, meaning raw wastewater — like sewage — flows into the Seine instead of a treatment plant.Under these conditions, untreated residential and industrial sewage is discharged into the Seine to prevent backflow. This is due in large part to Paris’s single system drainage scheme dating from the 19th century, which combines street runoff and sewage.A century ago, swimming in the Seine was part of everyday Parisian life, but it was banned in 1923 due to pollution. The origins of the clean-up efforts date back to the early 90s. In 2015, the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority announced the plan to make the Seine swimmable by the time of the Olympic Games.Under these conditions, untreated residential and industrial sewage is discharged into the Seine to prevent backflow. This is due in large part to Paris’s single system drainage scheme dating from the 19th century, which combines street runoff and sewage.