Giant Water Storage Basin in Paris to Clean Up Seine for Olympics
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – French officials inaugurated a huge water storage basin meant to help clean up the River Seine, set to be the venue for marathon swimming at the Paris Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.
Sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra praised Paris’ ability “to provide athletes from all over the world with an exceptional setting on the Seine for their events.”
Last year, swimming test events had to be canceled due to poor water quality. One reason was heavy rains that overwhelmed the city’s old sewers, causing a mix of rainwater and untreated sewage to flow into the Seine and leaving safety standards unmet.
The giant reservoir dug next to Paris’ Austerlitz train station aims to collect excess rainwater and prevent bacteria-laden wastewater from entering the Seine, the AP reported.
It can hold the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools of dirty water that will now be treated rather than being spat raw through storm drains into the river.
During the Olympics, water will be tested at 3 am each day to determine whether events can go ahead as planned. If results were not up to the standards, events could be delayed by a few days, organizers said.
The estimated cost of the cleanup efforts amount to 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion), paid by the state and local authorities.
