Seine closes to swimmers a day after its historic reopening
Swimmers' Seine dreams were dampened after the river closed on its second day of reopening to bathers for first time in a century
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Parts of the Seine River closed down to swimmers on Sunday due to heavy rainfall, just one day after it reopened to the public for the first time in a century.
Swimming in Paris’ Seine River has been closed off to members of the public since 1923, but on Saturday morning the river lifted the swimming ban.
However, those who missed the inaugural day and planned to head down to the Seine on Sunday would have found its swimming areas shut once again.
The Seine stopped swimming over a century ago due to concerns over the levels of water pollution that could make people ill.
The day after excited swimmers took to the waters in its three designated areas for public bathing, the celebrations were dampened when red flags flew over the zones.
The wet weather raised concerns over water quality in the river, Paris City Hall said. City officials said the Seine would be assessed daily for the presence of the faecal bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococci.
Flags will inform bathers every day about the pollution levels, and if it rains, the sites will likely close, Paris city official Pierre Rabadan explained, according to Le Monde.
Another site along the Canal St-Martin in eastern Paris was also due to welcome its first swimmers on Sunday but remained closed over the rain, which "compromises water quality”, the local town hall said.
Eve Plenel, the head of public health at Paris City Hall, told The Telegraph: “The water goes through a circuit… and if it is not swimmable, we will not open it for the day or until it gets better.
“So it’s impossible to open the swim station without being sure the water is absolutely clear and OK and no risk for public health.”
As for how often the swimming zones would be closed, Ms Plenel said: “It obviously depends on the weather.”
“If it rains a lot or there is any localised pollution anywhere on the Seine, then it can affect quality, of course that can happen.
“It’s just like any beach in the summer. Sometimes beaches are polluted or closed and this is exactly the same.”
Swimmers have been allowed to return to the Seine following a €1.4bn (£1.2bn) cleanup project tied to the Paris Olympics that hosted open water swimmer triathletes in its waters.
After improving the water quality for the Games, authorities made a historic decision to reopen the Seine to bathers and constructed two new wooden decks.
The idea has been floated since 1988, when then-mayor and future president Jacques Chirac promised to clear up the river within six years.
While it took longer than expected, Paris will now join a number of European cities with safe-to-swim waters – so long as the rain holds off.
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