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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 19 July 2017

Cities aiming to reclaim once-polluted rivers for swimming

ment for the project itself. city’s Yarra River at Austra- project calls for cleaning
NEW YORK lia’s Venice Biennale Exhibi- up a canal off the German
Four local artists and archi- tion last year. capital’s Spree River for
tects launched the idea for Michael O’Neill, the ef- public bathing.
+Pool , a floating, filtered fort’s co-founder, said the Barbara Schindler, a
pool in the shape of a plus company will be reaching spokeswoman for the ef-
sign in 2010. Since then, out to community groups fort, said the idea has been
they’ve successfully tested and government agencies around since the 1990s,
a filtration system that re- starting next month to get but has reached notable
moves bacteria without their feedback on what the milestones in recent years.
using chemicals, said Kara Yarra Pools project should She said the organization
Meyer, deputy director for offer and to promote its completed a water quality
the nonprofit effort. broader vision for use of the study in 2015 and has re-
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA river. ceived $4.6 million in gov-
The nonprofit Yarra Swim ernment funding to hope-
People dive into the Charles River during the “City Splash” Co. unveiled its concept BERLIN fully turn the concept into
event, Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Boston. For the fifth year in a
row, intrepid swimmers get a rare chance to beat the summer for a floating pool on the The long-gestating Flussbad reality.q
heat with a dip in the once notoriously filthy Charles River, where
conservationists are working to build a permanent swim park.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

By PHILIP MARCELO safely jump into the river
Associated Press without touching the haz-
BOSTON (AP) — They dove ardous bottom. The water
in, splashed around and quality would be regularly
blissfully floated in the tested.
murky river water. Nearly 300 people signed
Intrepid swimmers got a up to take the plunge.
once-a-year chance to PORTLAND, OREGON
beat the summer heat with The city partnered with a
a dip in the once-notori- local civic group to entice
ous dirty water of Boston’s residents to take a dip in
Charles River on Tuesday. the Willamette River this
The annual “City Splash” summer.
is one of the few days the Among them was last
state permits public swim- weekend’s Big Float in-
ming on the city’s stretch ner tube river parade that
of the 80-mile river, which drew about 2,500 revelers.
gained notoriety in the LONDON
Standells’ 1960s hit “Dirty A group of architects, de-
Water.” signers and engineers have
The event, now in its fifth proposed a series of pools
year, spotlights the non- in the middle of the iconic
profit Charles River Conser- River Thames, where river
vancy’s efforts to build a water would be constantly
permanent feature on the filtered.
river that would allow visi- The group launched an
tors to enjoy the water with- online crowd-funding cam-
out coming in contact with paign last year that raised
any leftover contaminants. about $182,000 to refine
They call it a “swim park,” their design but are work-
which would include float- ing to secure almost $19.6
ing docks for swimmers to million in outside invest-