5.2.15

The Paris sewer system


You can visit a little part of the Paris sewer system. The entrance is close to Pont d’Alma. You can read more about it here.

Actually what you find today underground is a combination of the sewer system and the double water supply network, drinking and non-drinking water. The same corridors and tunnels are used. All in all there are today 2.400 km (1.500 miles) of tunnels.


Walking around for about an hour, you will notice that the water leaving our buildings and streets is not quite clean. It’s good to know that it’s not going back to the Seine as such, but is brought far away and well cleaned before finally finding its way back to the river, far away downstream.


You will be taught the history of how Paris has taken care of its water supply and sewer system from ancient times until today and you can also see some of the tools in use, or previously used. The different corridors have the corresponding street names indicated. 


6 comments:

Julie said...

2,400kms ... that is close to the distance from Madrid to Berlin ... golly ...

I have been lucky enough to tour through just a short section of our CBD waste water tunnel, the part that used to be the stream on which Sydney was originally settled. This sort of "adventure" shows where many of our taxes go, Peter.

Fascinating post ... I muat admit the the kiosk beside Pont D'Alma is so wet that I thought the system to be in overflow ...

claude said...

Très intéressant, Peter !

Alain said...

Et alors, il n'y a pas de crocodiles ?

Jeanie said...

It's a long way from the days of "Les Miserables," isn't it? Fascinating, Peter.

Anonymous said...


¡Super chistoso el comentario de M. Alain!
Es exactamente lo que un niño pequeño diria :o)

Los cocodrilos siguen viviendo muy felices en mi pais de origen, porque alli no hace mucho frio.
¿Quizas el Fantasma de la Opera?

Mil gracias, M. Peter por animarse con semejante invierno a entrar en ese lugar.
Maria

Synne said...

Wow! I have always been intrigued by underground passages, and the sewer system under any city is probably worth exploring! Thanks for sharing this quite different and very adventurous post!