The first swim in the Isère river in Grenoble will not take place this Saturday, September 12th. The municipality has announced a further postponement of the event, already delayed once on August 30th, due to water quality deemed insufficient after several storms.
The latest microbiological results, carried out by an independent laboratory, show a level exceeding the thresholds recommended by the Regional Health Agency (ARS). The heavy rains of September 9th triggered storm overflows managed by Grenoble-Alpes Métropole, impacting water quality. These events can lead to wastewater discharges into waterways.
A new date is still unknown.
This swimming event was part of the campaign promises of Grenoble's Green mayor, Laurence Ruffin . Following this second postponement, the City indicates it is continuing to monitor the Isère River, taking into account the weather, the river's flow rate, and storm activity in order to determine the conditions for organizing the event.
Pollution remains one of the main obstacles to developing swimming in the Isère River. Pierre-Louis Serrero, a member of the Isère River Parliament , believes that public health safety must be the prerequisite for any project and calls for increased public investment to address the pollution accumulated over decades. The municipality, however, assures that "the next swimming event is already being planned" and is ready to organize it as soon as the necessary conditions are met, without announcing a new date.
