Are UK rivers clean enough to swim in?

Sewage spills and agricultural pollution are the leading causes of dirty rivers. And the latest figures are alarming: only 14% of England's rivers are classified as being of 'good' ecological status, according to a government report published in January 2022.



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Almost all of the UK's waterways are now considered too polluted to swim in. A 2022 House of Commons Committee report on the state of UK rivers concluded that no river in England was free from chemical contamination. Only 14 per cent of English rivers, it added, had a 'good' ecological status.

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It cannot cope with the combined problems of increasing population, urbanisation and climate change. In 2022 there were over 389,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers, totalling over 2.4 million hours of pollution. The UK is consistently ranked as one of the worst countries in Europe for water quality.

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About 44 percent of U.S. waterways are too polluted for fishing or swimming, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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In a people-powered study of pollutant levels in UK freshwater sites, the River Dart was the only one, out of 48, to pass all five parameters. The river runs 75km from Dartmoor and into the sea at Dartmouth.

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The Thames is actually one of the cleanest rivers in the world with sharks living in it - here's why it looks so brown and dirty.

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In England and Wales, a “right to roam” law means most lakes and rivers are open to swimming but there are some exceptions so it is important to confirm that you have access before you start swimming.

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The Mississippi River This once pristine waterway is perhaps the most polluted in the United States. Part of the problem stems from agriculture. The Mississippi River traverses much of America's heartland, drawing no end of runoff from factory farms. Animal waste isn't the only problem.

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Rebecca Thiele. The White River from the Indianapolis Art Center's ArtsPark. Indiana has the most miles of rivers and streams deemed too polluted to swim in of any state. Indiana has the most polluted rivers and streams of any state.

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And it's stunningly beautiful. –The Smith River is the wildest and cleanest river in the country outside of Alaska — indeed, it is one of the cleanest rivers in the world. — The Smith is the only major undammed river in California.

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He said this is actually because it is a muddy river, owing to the silt on the riverbed.

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