Paris officials opened three swimming sites along the Seine River this weekend, though rain led them to close the sites after a day.
Paris officials said on the city’s website that the three free swimming areas opened Saturday and are supposed to remain so through Aug. 31. There is one apiece in the city’s 4th, 12th and 15th arrondissements or districts.
Due to rain and worries about sewage and other materials making the Seine unsafe for swimming, officials closed all three Sunday, according to the wire service Agence France-Presse.
Officials test the river each day for E. coli and the bacteria enterococci. The water quality tests determine whether the river remains open for swimmers, city officials said on the Paris website.
All three swimming sites remained closed Tuesday and are set to reopen Wednesday.
Similar concerns about pollution in the river on which Paris stands led to the original ban on swimming, which went into effect in 1923.
Precipitation also affected the 2024 Paris Olympics, with six of the 11 competitions set to be held on the Seine cancelled due to the rain, according to AFP.
