Paris dives into the Games

Philippe Guilluy looks out over the Seine from Chez Daniel, a popular coffee spot on the riverbank under the Pont Louis-Philippe. A 60-year-old lawyer, Guilluy has waited years for the chance to swim in Paris’s river.

“If it’s clean, I am absolutely ready,” he says, adding that the city’s emergency services are inspecting the water regularly. “The divers are in the river every day, and they’re not sick.”

Swimming in the Seine has been illegal, in part because of high bacteria levels, since before the French capital last hosted the Games in 1924. To ensure the river is clean enough for the marathon swim and the triathlon, Paris has made improvements to all its wastewater treatment plants, the largest of which is the Seine-Aval plant in Achères, northwest of the city. The European Investment Bank is supporting the €1 billion refurbishment of the plant with a €250 million loan. It’s the Bank’s second loan to the modernisation project, and it is part of a €3 billion programme that will reduce the amount of untreated water that ends up in the Seine.

The EIB financing is part of a €473 million investment programme being carried out by Eau de Paris, the city water utility. This improvement programme started in 2021 and is due to run until 2025.

The Bank is contributing €130 million to the improvement of water distribution systems in addition to a linked €5 million operation backed by the Natural Capital Financing Facility to improve the river’s flow and aid biodiversity. The water distribution project targets the city of Paris itself, which is enclosed on all sides by the Boulevard Périphérique, the Paris ring road.

“Some parts of the Paris water mains are over 100 years old, while the average age across the system is around 80,” says Marco Beroš, lead engineer in the EIB’s Water Management Division.

• Read how Paris is creating the transport network of the future.

The system might be old, but it is in pretty good shape.

In general, Parisian water comes from several different sources. Nineteenth century aqueducts bring it from Normandy and Burgundy, with several other sources around the city.

Inside the city, most water pipes are housed in the sewers, often suspended from the ceilings. Health and safety standards are high, and water pipes are accessible without the need for digging.

The operation “makes improvements on dozens or hundreds of lines,” Beroš says.

The area within the Périph is home to around 2.1 million people. Taking workers and tourists into account, the water system has 3 million daily users.

This usage will increase during the Olympics and Paralympics. There are 13 venues in the city centre. While some of these venues are world-famous, such as the Roland Garros tennis complex, others have been intricately woven into the city’s tapestry.

The marathon route will head west from the Hotel de Ville to Versailles along the right bank, before doubling back and finishing at the Esplanade des Invalides by way of the left bank. Beach volleyball, 3x3 basketball, skateboarding, and breakdancing will take place in temporary arenas in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and at Place de la Concorde.

Stéphane Dechristé, an EIB loan officer in Paris who is responsible for the water distribution and Seine Aval projects, says the schemes improve daily life in the capital. “These were two of my first projects and are essential services linked to human health and wellbeing, so it is very satisfying to be involved.”

Getting around and clearing the air

The Paris region has received up to €5 billion of EIB financing over the last decade. This includes on-going investment in the metro, such as a section of the new line 15 that will connect the city centre with the southern suburbs. Line 15 is part of a bigger project called the Grand Paris Express, which aims to improve transport links in the greater Paris metropolitan area by expanding buses and trams and adding new, automated metro lines. The EIB is also financing the metro cars needed to operate the line through a separate loan of €240 million.

“Fans attending the Olympics will benefit from all the new infrastructure and new trains financed by the Bank,” says Nicolas Lucien, a European Investment Bank loan officer for the public sector.

So far, the Bank has financed €3.5 billion out of a total project cost for the Grand Paris Express of over €11 billion. The project is one of the largest supported by the European Investment Bank.

The 33-kilometre southern section of line 15 connects Pont de Sèvres, west of Paris, to Noisy-Champs in the east. Along the way, the line passes through 16 new stations, which will in turn connect the suburbs to tram, metro and rail services that link the city centre and other parts of the Paris area.

This section of the project will reach over 1 million residents of Parisian suburbs, and 500 000 workers, many of whom currently use cars to get around. The new, extended, public transport system will save travel time, ease congestion and cut emissions.

• Check out this Climate Solutions story and podcast to find out how Paris is bringing important amenities close to people and bringing people together.

While the Ile de France region is probably the richest in the country, it also suffers from huge inequalities.

“It currently takes over an hour to get to Paris from some surrounding areas,” says Caroline Lemoine, a senior European Investment Bank engineer in urban mobility. “When this project is done, it will take about 35 minutes from terminus to terminus, compared to more than 50 nowadays and will also reduce overcrowding in other lines like the core section of the RER. That is a real impact for millions of people.” The RER are local trains that serve the Paris suburbs.

These projects will benefit residents of Paris as well as the millions of visitors who come to the city every year. Guilluy, the lawyer, just hopes the city sticks to its promise of opening the river to swimmers.

“I have been waiting for this for years,” he says. “How many more do I have to wait?”