Joyful Parisians take a historic plunge into the Seine after 100 years

PARIS AP Cries of It is warm rang out across the Seine on Saturday morning as Parisians jumped into the river legally for the first time in more than years Society swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the le Saint-Louis in central Paris Before sunrise a municipal officer skimmed away the last inadequate patches of algae with a fishnet Soon after a line of eager Parisians formed towels in hand waiting for their chance to jump in Woos and cries of pleasure echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water Every swimmer wore a bright yellow lifebuoy tied around their waist part of strict safety measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests The current was weak just enough to tug gently at their limbs a reminder that this is still a living urban river It s so nice to swim in the heart of the city especially with the high temperatures we ve been having lately stated Amine Hocini a -year-old construction worker from Paris I m surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler and in fact it s much warmer than I thought The return to swimming follows a billion euro billion cleanup project tied to last year s Olympics Representatives now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most of days Mayor Anne Hidalgo who already took a dip last year was there Saturday morning holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence Environmental agents established bacteria levels were well below official thresholds Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since with a insufficient exceptions due to contamination and risks posed by river navigation Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons From the deck tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch Several applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders grinning and dripping Others like Fran ois Fournier remained skeptical I won t liability it quite frankly declared Fournier who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above I ve seen things you can t imagine floating in the Seine so I ll wait for it to be really squeaky clean Floating debris still bobbed here and there a stray leaf a plastic wrapper but the smell was barely noticeable no strong sewage odor just an earthy river-like scent This is so chic to swim in the Seine next to le Saint-Louis declared Lucile Woodward a resident There are various apprehensions of program any time you go to swim somewhere but I think this is one of the the bulk tested areas in the whole world now I don t think the town hall can allow herself to have any problems She added with a laugh My skin is OK Source