Olympics shed light on Seine progress as advocates work to improve Charles River – NBC Boston

The Seine, which flows through Paris, is set to play a major role in the 2024 Olympic Games, as evidenced by a large-scale clean-up operation similar to that in Boston.

First we saw athletes sailing across the river in boats for the first ever opening ceremony outside a stadium. Now the hope is that Olympic events will take place in the Seine, where people have not been allowed to swim for 100 years.

It took a lot of work to clean up the river and make it swimmable. Similar work is being done on the Charles River in Massachusetts.

The Charles River Conservancy aims to improve the health of a river that doesn’t exactly have a good reputation.

“The water quality has improved tremendously since, you know, the late ’90s, when the Charles was kind of known as ‘that dirty water,'” said Laura Jasinski, the sanctuary’s executive director. “And it still has a little bit of that PR problem, but the water is much cleaner for the most part.”

Jasinski says the Seine faces “some of the same challenges” as the Charles.

Paris has invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics. It has a history of high E. Coli levels, making it dangerous for swimmers.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo has paid extra attention to the safety of the Seine by going swimming earlier this month.

The Charles River has its own problems, such as algae blooms and sewage discharges that can increase bacteria counts.

Some steps towards improvement have already been taken.

“We’ve done a lot to improve the infrastructure by separating our stormwater drains from our sewers,” Jasinski said.

Much remains to be done, and the Seine serves as a symbol.

“It shows what’s possible with investment and with advocacy,” Jasinski said. “It’s really inspiring to see. Hopefully it continues to motivate action here in Boston.”

As long as the results of the water tests are positive, athletes will take part in both the marathon swimming and triathlon competitions in the Seine.