The Mersey Estuary - back from the dead? Solving a 150 year old problem

The Mersey Estuary has suffered a legacy of abuse and neglect since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The discharge of effluents from manufacturing processes, together with wastewater from the burgeoning centres of population, resulted in the estuary gaining the unenviable reputation of bring one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. As a result of the long awaited remedial action, which has been implemented over the past fifteen years, there is now unequivocal evidence that the water quality of the river and the biology of the system have improved significantly and will continue to do so as further planned alleviation schemes are completed. This paper reviews the achievements, which have been made at the halfway stage in the 25-year multi-billion pound clean up campaign.