In the Paris region, the Bièvre, a polluted and buried river in the 20th century, once again flows in the open air between Arcueil and Gentilly in the Val-de-Marne. A long-standing project to bring nature back to cities.
Under bridges, between two streets or through a park… Between Arcueil and Gentilly, the Bièvre now meanders for 600 metres. Diversified vegetation borders the river: 450 trees were planted during the work. The objective according to Benoît Kayser, project manager: to recreate wetlands to promote biodiversity.
We are on a plant composition that accompanies the rivers. There are willows, alders, mountain ash… These are typical trees along the water’s edge. And it is these trees and this vegetation that are helophyte plants and semi-aquatic plants that grow closer to the water. It also corresponds to dragonflies and frogs. So we reconstructed this nature and this wetland. It’s not just the water, there are also the banks.
The effects of this new space in the heart of the city are already visible: the animals have returned with the water. Benoît Kayser says: “From the first afternoon, when the water arrived, there was a heron who came to observe if there were no fish “, he explains. “The fish weren’t there, but they were spotted this week. They came by the pipeline, there are 3 kilometers of pipeline before. They will also return by birds, there are many birds carrying eggs in their paws, feather or beak wedge “, he adds.
A cost of 10 million euros
To achieve this, the construction site was colossal. Ten years of studies and 27 months of work were necessary. In particular, it was necessary to provide major sanitation and masonry work to make room for the river. Total cost of the operation: 10 million euros.
For this student on a stroll along the Bièvre, the investment was worth it. “I find that fantastic. Ecologically, it makes a lot of sense and then it’s peaceful. I’m there with my girlfriend and we walk… It’s frankly very pleasant. It’s a moment of break in the day, we live right next door. The department did a good job, I think.»
An urban legend brought to life
This new corner of greenery also allows the municipalities that the river crosses to reconnect with their history. This is the case of Gentilly, where the new section of the river is coming to an end.
For Patricia Tordjman, mayor of the city, it’s a real homecoming. “The generations of Gentilléans and Gentilléennes who knew the Bievre, who dipped their feet in it, collected leeches to sell them to apothecaries and make a few cents… That’s the past. And even channeled, it was still known as almost an urban legend that now comes true for all to see.»
Other projects are being studied, in particular between Antony and Paris where the Bièvre is mainly channeled and underground. It could therefore well reappear almost entirely in the Ile-de-France landscape.