The struggle with the Seine

So that cost 1.4 BILLION. Every time I say or write it, I feel the need to check it again, because 1.4 billion to make the Seine swim-proof is just insane?

But it's really true. To get France's most famous river to a level where you can take a dive in it without health risks, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has wrung her piggy bank dry. To the Olympic Games get to your city, you have to pull out all the stops as a mayor to entice the decision-makers. And Paris visually has a lot to offer, of course. How amazing would it be to see athletes beach volleyballing in front of the Eiffel Tower? And what about the triathlon that kicks off with 1.5 kilometers of swimming in the Seine? What beautiful pictures would that create.
There was just one petite problème, and that was that the water of the Seine was so dirty and polluted that a dive in the water could easily get you an extra ticket. To the hospital, that is. The biggest problem is unfortunately not so elegant: poop. During heavy rainfall, the sewage systems can become overloaded, causing mixed wastewater (including sewage) to be discharged directly into the Seine. This problem is known as ‘overflow’ and contributes to the contamination with fecal bacteria and other harmful substances.

Fun fact: it has been forbidden to swim in the Seine since 1924.

Something had to be done about that anyway, and the Olympic Games were the perfect occasion. But it wasn't a simple ride. The sewage system had to be improved, a whole water basin was built to catch rainwater so that you wouldn't have the misery of sewage mixing with that excess water and still having poop in the Seine, and no chemical waste was allowed to be dumped by factories anymore.

It became more and more expensive, and the water became... not much cleaner. Anne Hidalgo promised the Parisians that she would take a dive in the Seine as proof that the ‘coast was clear’. Macron showed solidarity. At least, that's what he said. When it came to the point, Hidalgo kept postponing her moment suprême and Macron twirled his mustache. Eventually, Anne took a dive to show that it really, truly, is perfectly okay in the Seine. I must say: it's still light years away from the water in the Canal Grande, but I've never seen the Seine look so fresh.

Due to the rainfall during the opening ceremony, the Seine got a little boost again and the cleanliness values dropped again. But, but, but: tomorrow the triathlon is on the schedule. It has already been postponed a day to give Hidalgo and the team a little extra time. But who wants to swim in a river tomorrow that has been labeled ‘too bad’ today as a top athlete? I'm afraid it's going to be a duathlon tomorrow: running, cycling, running, and that because of the hassle with the Seine.