In today’s Finshots, we tell you why Paris was hell bent on making the River Seine swimmable again.

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The Story

Imagine taking a dip at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If you’re there with a partner, it might just be the most romantic thing ever, right?

Well, that dreamy scenario has been off the table for tourists and Parisians for almost a century. That’s because the River Seine, one of Paris’ most iconic rivers, has been plagued by pollution. We’re talking about serious stuff here — like untreated sewage and, yes, even human waste floating in what should be the picturesque waters of this historic river.

But just a couple of days ago, triathletes at the Paris Olympics — those super fit folks who swim, cycle and run — dove into these very waters. And it wasn’t exactly a smooth sail.

The city has had at least 80 rainy days this year, which is about 2.5 weeks more than usual. And that just made things worse, because all that rain means the pipes can overflow. Instead of wastewater backing up into homes, it ends up flowing into the river. That’s why, leading up to the Games, the Seine was still murky and water quality tests weren’t exactly stellar.

Sure, the water was deemed swimmable about 7 out of 10 days, which might not sound terrible. But on those other days, the water was teeming with bacteria, viruses and some nasty stuff like E. coli — definitely not what you want in your swimming spot.

Now, it wasn’t as if Paris didn’t have other options. World Triathlon rules allow for the competition to ditch the swim and switch to a duathlon format if things get dicey.

But Paris probably got lucky when some last-minute tests showed that the water was safe enough for swimming. So they gave the triathlon the green light.

But hold on... If the Seine was so contaminated, why did they choose to have such an important event there in the first place?

Well, here’s the thing. The Seine isn’t just any river. It’s got serious cultural and historical significance for Paris. It even hosted swimming events during the 1900 Olympics! Back then, the water was much cleaner. And believe it or not, human waste was actually valuable because it was used as fertiliser on farms. So, people didn’t dump sewage into the river.

But as time went on, things changed. Mineral and chemical fertilisers became popular, the population grew, and modern sewage systems had to be developed. This led to untreated sewage from homes and businesses straining the capacity of the existing infrastructure. To prevent backflow, the city started discharging untreated wastewater into the Seine. By 1923, swimming in it was made illegal, partly due to the pollution and partly because of the dangers posed by boat traffic. And ever since, the Seine has remained a less inviting, no-swim zone in Paris.

Now, this isn’t a good look for a city that hosted the most significant climate agreement in history just under a decade ago — the Paris Agreement, aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels.

So when Paris threw its hat in the ring to host the Olympics just a year after the Paris Agreement, they had a game plan. They said, “Hey, let’s make the 2024 Games the greenest ever!”

Their goal?

To cut the carbon footprint compared to the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games by half. Just to put things in perspective, those Games had an average carbon footprint of around 3.5 million tonnes.

And to make that green promise a reality, Paris really had to put in the effort.

They got creative with sustainable materials ― beds in the athletes’ village were made from recycled cardboard, coffee tables were crafted from recycled shuttlecocks, footstools from parachute canvas and chairs from recycled bottle tops.

They also aimed to double the amount of plant-based ingredients served to athletes, spectators and employees compared to the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games. Plus, they promised that 80% of ingredients would come from local farms to cut down on transport emissions.

On top of that, the city made a big push to connect stadiums to the public electricity grid instead of relying on diesel generators. These connections will continue to be used even after the Games are over. And to get around, they planned a cycling network to link all the Olympic venues, making it easier and greener to travel between them.

But the biggest move was that they decided to use existing stadiums and venues instead of building new ones that might turn into white elephant venues. If that sounds new, white elephant venues are those big, expensive structures built for events like the Olympics that end up being underused, become costly to maintain or even tough to demolish after the event wraps up.

Sidebar: The term “white elephant” comes from Siam (now Thailand), where white elephants were rare and considered sacred. You couldn’t put them to work and they required special, costly care. That’s why the King would sometimes gift these pricey animals to those who displeased him, knowing that the upkeep could financially ruin them.

Canada’s Quebec for example, is still dealing with the Big O, a stadium built for the 1976 Games that critics now call the “Big Owe”. It took three decades to pay off the debt linked to it, and still costs taxpayers $40 million in repairs.

And Paris didn’t want these kinds of white elephant venues. So they only built two new ones — an aquatics centre and an arena for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics, out of the 35 venues they needed.

This decision also meant they had to really focus on sustainability, including cleaning up the Seine, since they weren’t building a new venue for the triathlon and marathon swimming events.

So they quickly put the plan into action, pouring in a whopping €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to clean up the Seine. This included building a massive basin to capture excess rainwater and prevent wastewater from spilling into the river — big enough to hold water from about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. They also upgraded the sewer infrastructure and wastewater treatment plants.

But was it worth it, you ask?

Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

The water quality in the Seine did improve, but it still wasn’t consistently safe for swimming, especially when heavy rains would mess things up. However, the amount of untreated wastewater entering the river in 2022 was 90% lower than it was 20 years ago. So that’s a big win.

This cleanup effort also sets a great example for other cities in France and around the world looking to tackle pollution and climate change. Los Angeles, set to host the 2028 Olympics, even sent water and sanitation officials to Paris to study the Seine cleanup as part of their own preparations.

But for Paris, it may not be just about setting a global example. Cleaning up the Seine brings environmental and economic benefits too. The river now hosts over 30 fish species, compared to just 3 in 1970. And a swimmable Seine also offers Parisians a way to cool off during the hot summers. Because remember, it hit a scorching 43°C in 2019.

Economically, the 2024 Olympics could bring in €10 billion ($11 billion) and create 2,50,000 jobs. So, this cleanup isn’t just a good PR (public relations) strategy, it’s a smart investment too.

But yeah, it’s too soon to say if all the effort will pay off. The marathon swimming event is set for the last day of the Games. And if the water quality holds up, Paris could shine in the spotlight. If not, there’s always the backup plan at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

Regardless, Paris is committed to keeping up the efforts and aims to make swimming legal in the Seine for locals and visitors by 2025.

Will they succeed and set an example in the fight against climate change? Only time will tell. Until then...

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