Is the Thames no longer biologically dead?


Is the Thames no longer biologically dead? It might surprise you to know that the River Thames is considered one of the world's cleanest rivers running through a city. What's even more surprising is that it reached that status just 60 years after being declared “biologically dead” by scientists at London's Natural History Museum.


Why is the Thames still brown?

The River Thames was once a highly depressed, brown, opaque fluid, a victim of industrial exploitation and human waste. Today, it's still brownish and opaque, and it probably always will be—largely because the tides churn up mud from the bottom of the river every day.


Is the Thames the cleanest river in Europe?

The Thames is considered to be the cleanest river in the world that flows through a major city. The Thames is home to 125 species of fish and more than 400 invertebrates. This is in spite of the fact that raw sewage is routinely pumped into the river during heavy rains.


Why is there no oxygen in the Thames river?

The river Thames in London was so starved of oxygen in August 2022, due to sewage and hot weather, that it was effectively on life support, New Scientist can reveal. A specialised boat was used to directly inject the gas into the water for 11 days that month to prevent plants and fish dying.


How is River Thames the cleanest?

Thames Water, a private utility company in charge of London's water supply and waste water, says it removes more than 25,000 tonnes of debris from their sewage system every year.


Which river is biologically dead?

Surveys in 1957 found the river was unable to sustain life, and the River Thames was eventually declared “biologically dead”.


How deep is the River Thames?

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.


What is the cleanest river in Europe?

For the cleanest water in Europe: The Lobau River, Austria Just east of Vienna, the Lobau River runs through the Donau-Auen National Park.