Why is the River Thames so clean?

With considerable effort from policymakers, the river's fate began to change. From 1976, all sewage entering the Thames was treated, and legislation between 1961 and 1995 helped to raise water quality standards.



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With considerable effort from policymakers, the river's fate began to change. From 1976, all sewage entering the Thames was treated, and legislation between 1961 and 1995 helped to raise water quality standards.

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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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As the Thames is tidal, its waters are 'brackish' – a mixture of fresh and saltwater. Drinking untreated Thames river water is unsafe, although historically it has been used for many domestic and industrial purposes including cooking, brewing and generating power.

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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.



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Fish in the Thames There is an incredible 125 species of fish that have been found living amongst the animals in the Thames, and this includes species of conservation and commercial importance.

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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.

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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.

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

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