In 1923, swimming in the Seine was outlawed though no one in their right mind would have taken a dip. After years of pollution, the picturesque river was so polluted that people could get sick just by swimming in it.
Though hard to believe now, when the French capital hosted its first Olympic Games in 1900, swimming competitions took place in the river.
Fast forward to 2018, when the city of Paris got serious about cleaning up its iconic river in time for the 2024 Olympic Games.
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Known as the “Swimming Plan,” it has cost the city over one BILLION dollars already. Much of that has gone to funding:
- A new underground rainwater storage tank. During rainstorms, the tank will hold rainwater, preventing it from overwhelming Paris’ sanitation network, which currently pulls untreated waste flow into the river.
- A tunnel linking the new rainwater tank to the sewage system, where it will be treated before entering the river.
Watch this fascinating video of how they are cleaning the River.