Paris puts water basin in Seine, water quality for Olympics should improve

Thanks to a huge 50,000 cubic meter water basin, the water quality in the Seine should improve even before the Olympics, ensuring that Olympic sports that take place in open water – including, therefore, triathlon – are not at risk.

The new basin is placed at Austerlitz station, in the 13th arrondissement. More than 30 meters deep and 50 meters wide, the basin should be able to hold 50,000 cubic meters of sewage water. During heavy rain, sewers overflow into the Seine and human excrement enters the river. This makes the water quality of the Seine so poor and poses a risk to the health of triathletes at the Olympics. The poor water quality has been in the news several times. By diverting sewage to the new basin, the Seine should become cleaner.

Paris has been working on the new basin for three years, with a price tag of 90 million euros. It is another step in the master plan to allow ordinary Parisians to swim in their favorite river again by 2025. It also includes renovating water treatment plants, installing new sewer connections and prohibiting houseboats from discharging waste into the Seine.