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The Seine Used to Be a Toxic Mess. Now It’s the Hottest New Swim Spot in Paris
Officials say the cleanup has cut major sewage overflows into the Seine from 15 a year to around two.
- On Saturday, July 4, 2026, Paris opened three free public swimming spots along the Seine for the second summer in a row, offering relief during an approaching heatwave.
- Parisian bathing evolved from a 17th-century casual practice to a 19th-century social event, though by the 1970s, pollution rendered the Seine effectively biologically dead.
- To enable swimming, the city constructed the Austerlitz basin, a massive concrete cylinder holding 50,000 cubic meters of stormwater to prevent sewer overflows from contaminating the river.
- Daily tests for E. coli determine if swimming is safe using a flag system; last July, the green signal indicating safe water was raised on only 18 of 31 days.
- The Grenelle swimming site will host the European Swimming Championships later this month, marking the first time Paris has held the competition since 1931.
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24 Articles
24 Articles
Paris suffered a suffocating heat at the end of June during a heat wave that hit much of Europe, raising temperatures to 40 °C.
Want to sting a head? Three bathing sites in the Seine are open from this Saturday, July 4th until August 30th.
·Paris, France
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Paris reopens this Saturday and until the end of August its three sites in the Seine, a legacy of the Olympic Games. The controlled swimming in the urban river remains the preserve of only a few cities. Urban beaches, framed swimming, surfing or kayaking: tour of the world of refreshing spots.
·Paris, France
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Taking a dip overlooking the Eiffel Tower is, for these days, one of the favorite pastimes of locals and tourists in Paris. See the pictures.
·Portugal
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After record-breaking heatwave: Splish-splash! Parisians and tourists soak in the Seine
·Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left2Leaning Right1Center18Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Center
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources are Center
86% Center
C 86%
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