Paris Mayor Launches Inaugural Season Of Public Swimming In The River Seine

PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 5: Nicolas Frochot (L), prefect of the Paris department, speaks to the press and says "We have two bacteria, Escherichia coli and enterococci. For some, we are ten times below the thresholds, and for others, more than twenty-five times below the thresholds. So since June 15, every day has shown exceptional water quality, with the exception of the big storm on June 25, for two days, we were not up to standard. But we can expect that this summer, as we have done even more work since the Olympic Games, with 2,000 additional connections that have been improved, compared to last year, we will have water quality 90 or 95 percent of the days, with a few rainy days." as Marie Barsacq, Minister of Sports, Youth and Life and Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris look on at the Baignade Bras Marie station on the day of its inauguration on July 5, 2025 in Paris, France. Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo is visiting three bathing sites as the city launches its inaugural season of public swimming in the River Seine for the first time in just over a hundred years. Hidalgo had made it a promise of her time in office to make the Seine swimmable again ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with the city investing 1.4 billion euros in a clean-up project. Swimming in the Seine had been banned since 1923, due to the dangers of boat traffic and poor water quality. The new bathing areas offer changing areas and will be monitored by life guards for the swimming season, from July 5 to August 31. (Footage by Photo and Co/Getty Images)