Big stink

People have lived alongside the River Lim, in southwest England, for centuries. MonksGroups of religious men who live together and withdraw from the rest of the world. used to extract salt from its marshes. VictoriansPeople who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901. used its water to wash their laundry. Children paddled in the water on hot summer days. Humans shared the river with eels, trout and kingfishers.

How things have changed. Last Friday, the river was declared "ecologically dead". A sign warns people to stay out. The Lim is now coated with a "brown layer" of human waste, filled with the deadly bacteria E. coliEscherichia coli is a large group of bacteria. Many are harmless, but some can cause sickness. . This was caused by 2,200 hours of sewage spills from local water company South West Water. 

The tragedy of the Lim is just one thread in a terrible tapestry. Britain's rivers have become filthy. Last year raw sewage was spilled into rivers 389,000 times, or for over 2.7m hours.¹

England's sewers send rainwater and wastewater from toilets to sewage treatment works. When the pipes are overrun, the water companies are allowed to dump it into rivers. This was meant to be an emergency measure. But it happens all the time.

People have taken note. Last year, MPs called Britain's rivers a "a chemical cocktail" of sewage, micro-plastics and slurryA mixture of water and small pieces of solid, typically manure, cement or coal. .

On Thursday, Water UKA group representing the UK water industry. chair Ruth Kelly offered an apology. Kelly said: "We're sorry about the upset and the anger from the fact that there have been overspills of untreated sewage onto beaches and into rivers over the past few years."

A new law forces water companies to cut sewage or face fines. Kelly announced that they will invest £10bn in reducing spills. New sewers are already being built.

But activists warn it will take 20 years to clean Britain's rivers under these plans. But it may be too little too late.

Environmental writer George Monbiot says: "Sewage pollution is a massive and disgusting cause of rivercide in the UK. But if it were eliminated entirely our rivers would still be dying."

Water companies are responsible for about 35% of water pollution. Another 40% comes from the chemicals used in farming.² Farmers often dump chemical-filled waste into rivers. In north DevonA region of south-west England., for example, almost 90% of farms ignored rules and dumped slurry in rivers. This sort of polluting is harder to monitor than that of water companies.

Can we ever have clean water again?

Yes: The new rules are a promising start. Upgraded sewer systems should have a big effect. And public anger has reached a fever pitch that might lead to further changes. Progress is slow but sure.

No: The speed and scale with which we have despoiled our waterways is incredible. Everyone needs to take responsibility to force a change. But with so many different causes, this will take a miracle.

Or... The real question is whether we will have any water. The global demand for freshwater is increasing. But supply is going down due to global warming. Before too long, we might be without freshwater at all.