Overview

• The Austerlitz basin, located next to Austerlitz train station, was inaugurated on Thursday by Paris officials, including Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
• Designed to mitigate pollution from heavy rains, the basin can store water equivalent to 20 Olympic swimming pools.
• The basin is part of a broader effort to improve Seine water quality, which has seen significant enhancements over the past decade.
• Daily water quality tests during the Olympics will determine if conditions are suitable for swimming events.
• Officials express confidence that the new infrastructure will reduce the frequency of untreated sewage entering the Seine.