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New York Times

You Can Swim in the Seine Again. Trust Me. I Just Did.

I swam in the Seine on Saturday. I dived in near the heart of Paris — the elegant ancient mansions of Île Saint-Louis rising above me, and the Seine's stone bridges stretching into the distance. A crowd splashed around me, giggling with pleasure and wonder. 'What a joy. What a joy,' said Martine Laupin, 76, breast-stroking nearby. 'This is Paris. Imagine!' Swimming has been banned in the river since 1923 because of boat traffic and pollution. France promised to clean up the pollution, and on Saturday it delivered, opening three dedicated bathing sites in Paris. Two sites were also opened in the Marne River, a tributary a few miles upstream, in the southern Parisian suburbs. The water was green and silky. A gentle current pulled me along a line of orange buoys marking the official swim zone. I took a breath and dived under. It was warm. A green flag hung on a pole nearby, signaling that the latest water-quality tests, taken two hours before, had come back clear. 1 mile AlexandER III BRIDGE Seine BIR-HAKeiM BRIDGE Eiffel Tower Île Saint-Louis Notre-Dame Cathedral Grenelle Bras Marie Paris SULLY BRIDGE FRANCE SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR BRIDGE Paris Seine Bercy Swimming sites opening in the Seine Marne R. Map data from OpenStreetMap Maisons-Alfort 1 mile AlexandER III BRIDGE Île Saint-Louis Eiffel Tower Seine Grenelle Bras Marie Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris FRANCE Paris Bercy Swimming sites opening in the Seine Marne River Seine Map data from OpenStreetMap Maisons-Alfort By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.