Monday, July 7

The Seine River in Paris has finally opened to swimmers for the first time in over 100 years, a huge milestone after a costly cleanup effort by French authorities.

The Seine has long been an example of pollution in European cities, ever since the river was first closed down for recreational activities back in 1923 when it was deemed unfit for swimming due to the high pollution levels. As the city of Paris grew, more and more homes and other buildings were built along the river, and much of the city's waste ended up in the river, similar to the conditions of London's Thames and New York City's Hudson at the time.

As sewer systems were built, the pollution went down slightly, but it came back up as the population continued to grow. The wastewater plants managed to, for the most part, keep the river clean, but on days with heavy rains, they would become overwhelmed and release the extra waste into the river. This problem continued to grow until the 1970s, when around 60% of the city's waste ended up in the river and the biodiversity of the Seine plummeted.

Over the next few decades, the pollution persisted, but discussions over cleaning the Seine began in the late 1980s. A plan was developed, which involved connecting thousands of buildings to the sewer system and building a backup container for rainwater in case of storms.

However, the action proved to be extremely slow-- until 2016, when France began preparing for Paris to host the Summer Olympics in 2024. Just before the Olympics, it was found that the Seine was clean enough for swimming around 70% of the time, but heavy rains could still force sewage into the river. When the Olympics finally came around, the swimming part of the triathlon was delayed after rains dropped the water quality of the river, but it eventually went through.

Now after a $1.65 billion cleanup effort, certain parts of the river have been approved for swimming once again, making it the first time in over 100 years that the public can take part in recreational activities inside the Seine. Three locations have been opened up in different areas on the river that will allow around 1,000 visitors into the Seine each day, and each location also has lifeguards, changing rooms, and showers. Dozens of other locations have also been planned for the future, which should help to increase tourism along the river.

Unfortunately, river pollution is still a massive problem in lesser-developed countries, specifically in Africa and South Asia. Waste and trash from entire cities is dumped into rivers, killing wildlife and ruining the ecosystem. While cleanup efforts have improved conditions in bigger cities like Paris and London, many third-world countries still use rivers as dumping sites, leading to the destruction of the environment and the spread of disease.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The first movie ever to put out a motion-picture soundtrack was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you don't risk anything, you risk even more. (Erica Jong)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Antic (noun, AN-tik) - Antic refers to an attention-drawing, often wildly playful or funny act or action. It is usually used in its plural form, and is often used disapprovingly.

In a Sentence: It wasn't clear which students were ultimately responsible for the antics that unfolded in the cafeteria that day.