Future of Swimming in the Rhône: Mayor of Lyon Open to Possibility, But Challenges Remain

Will we soon be able to bathe and swim in the Rhône? Asked on the sidelines of the presentation of the Entre Rhône et Saône festival, the mayor (EELV) of Lyon, Grégory Doucet replied that this file was open.

“With the Métropole and the other partners, we are working on it. There are regulatory and technical constraints that must be studied. The project is therefore not abandoned.

On the other hand, the elected ecologist does not want to advance a date as to the feasibility of the thing. “We are working on it,” he repeats, saying he does not want to make any promises. Half-word reference to Jacques Chirac, who promised, in his electoral program in 1988, to make the Seine clean again for swimming and to prove it by swimming in the river. He hadn’t kept his promise. Thirty-five years later, the town hall of Paris claims today that it is doing everything possible to make swimming in the Seine in complete safety possible after the 2024 Olympic Games.

A study on “bathability”

Will we have to wait so long in Lyon before seeing things happen?

One thing is certain, it is one of the very strong expectations of the Lyonnais. They let it be known as soon as they are given the opportunity. During the consultation around the Right Bank of the Rhône as during the call for projects for the first participatory budget, there was no lack of ideas to claim to be able to one day bathe in the river which crosses the city. Some dreamed of installing an ephemeral pool or not, of the natural pool type like in Copenhagen or of the type “floating on the river with a beach made up of alluvial sands”. Others to place a pool on the banks of the Rhône opposite the Soufflot islet or even to create supervised and equipped swimming areas directly in the Rhône.

An option that is not ruled out. Last year, Grégory Doucet announced that he wanted to offer other opportunities for swimming in Lyon, claiming that a study on “swimability” in rivers had been launched.

The fact remains that today, and even if it is very tempting to dive into the waters of the river, bathing in the Rhône has been prohibited by municipal decree since April 7, 2001. In question, the quality of the water, a little. And the very strong currents, above all, which make the thing dangerous.