List of most-polluted rivers

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|Central Addis Ababa, {{Flag|Ethiopia}}

|

|Significantly high contaminant concentrations in its catchment rivers.{{Cite journal |last1=Dessie |first1=Bitew K. |last2=Aschale |first2=Minbale |last3=Assegide |first3=Endaweke |last4=Alamirew |first4=Tena |last5=Walsh |first5=Claire L. |last6=Zeleke |first6=Gete |date=2024 |title=Pollution challenges and consequences of the Akaki catchment, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia: Evidence for policy reform and action |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wwp2.12169#:~:text=Studies%20have%20also%20reported%20elevated,Akaki%20catchment%20is%20badly%20degraded. |journal=World Water Policy |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=363–372 |doi=10.1002/wwp2.12169 |bibcode=2024WWatP..10..363D |issn=2639-541X|url-access=subscription }}

|Waste disposal site of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's largest city.{{cite web |title=Akaki River |url=http://www.gadaa.com/AkakiRiver.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225074400/http://www.gadaa.com/AkakiRiver.html |archive-date=25 February 2020 |accessdate=30 January 2013 |publisher=Gadaa}}

|Rural population downstream of the main city put at risk of health issues.

|{{Flag|Ethiopia}}

|18.6 million{{Cite journal |last1=Abebe |first1=Yosef |last2=Whitehead |first2=Paul |last3=Alamirew |first3=Tena |last4=Jin |first4=Li |last5=Alemayehu |first5=Esayas |date=2023 |title=Evaluating the effects of geochemical and anthropogenic factors on the concentration and treatability of heavy metals in Awash River and Lake Beseka, Ethiopia: arsenic and molybdenum issues |journal=Environmental Monitoring and Assessment |language=en |volume=195 |issue=10 |page=1188 |bibcode=2023EMnAs.195.1188A |doi=10.1007/s10661-023-11674-z |issn=0167-6369 |pmc=10497432 |pmid=37698767 |doi-access=free}} 50x50px Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

|Internationally famous for its high density of hominin fossils. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980.{{cite web |title=Lower Valley of the Awash |url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/10 |access-date=18 September 2021 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Site |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization}}

|Industrial and urban wastes, agricultural runoff (pesticides, fertilizers), and sewage discharge.

|Severe ecosystem damage.

|Southeastern {{Flag|Nigeria}}

|

|Reported by the World Health Organization as one of the most polluted rivers in Nigeria.{{Cite web |last=Sesan |date=2017-12-16 |title=Nigeria's perilous pollution indices |url=https://punchng.com/nigerias-perilous-pollution-indices/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}

|General Manager Emeka Ugoanyanwu issued a public warning that that locals should not dispose of trash, urinate, bury the dead, and build soak-away pits along the river, due to it polluting the river with coliform bacteria.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-08 |title=Imo decries pollution of Otamiri river by residents |url=https://guardian.ng/news/imo-decries-pollution-of-otamiri-river-by-residents/ |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-US}}

|Severe risk of making the main source drinkable water for Owerri non-potable.

|Central {{Flag|Ethiopia}}

|

|One of the two most polluted rivers in Ethiopia.Habtamu Dugo, [http://old.i2i.org/main/article.php?article_id=1733&print=1 "Environment in Peril in Oromia, Ethiopia"], Independence Institute website, published 8 May 2009Wondwossen Sintayehu, [http://www2.unitar.org/cwm/publications/cw/tw/tw10/written/gov/Ethiopia_Wondwossen_Sintayehu.pdf "Action Professionals’ Association for the People vs. Environmental Protection Authority: Report on the Public Interest Litigation Case instituted at the Federal First Instance Court of Ethiopia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725184933/http://www2.unitar.org/cwm/publications/cw/tw/tw10/written/gov/Ethiopia_Wondwossen_Sintayehu.pdf|date=2011-07-25}}, submission to the Thematic Workshop on Governance, Civil Society Participation and Strengthening Partnerships for Chemicals and Waste Management and SAICM Implementation, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (accessed 24 April 2011)

|Toxic industrial chemicals

|

|{{Flag|Kenya}}

|

|The rivers are mostly narrow and highly polluted,Ndiritu, G. G., N. N. Gichuki, P. Kaur, and L. Triest. 2003. The Nairobi river is mainly used by local citizens for bathing, washing clothes, and cleaning their homes. Characterization of environmental gradients using physicochemical measurements and diatom densities in Nairobi River, Kenya. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 6 (3): 343-354. though recent efforts to clean the rivers have improved water quality.{{cite web |title=Nairobi River Basin |url=http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/PDFs/ISWMLaunch_NairobiRiverBasin.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131216/http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/PDFs/ISWMLaunch_NairobiRiverBasin.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2015-05-13}}

|Agriculture, slums, and industry.

|

|{{Flag|South Africa}} and {{Flag|Mozambique}}

|

|Close to the historical area of the Pedi people, Sekhukhuneland.{{Cite web |title=The Ba Pedi |url=http://www.ezakwantu.com/Tribes%20-%20Ba%20Pedi%20-%20Bapedi%20-%20Northern%20Basotho.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314132451/http://www.ezakwantu.com/Tribes%20-%20Ba%20Pedi%20-%20Bapedi%20-%20Northern%20Basotho.htm |archive-date=2012-03-14 |access-date=2012-03-14}}

|Green algae and very high sulphate levels attributed to coal mining and industry in the upper catchment.{{Cite web|url=http://allafrica.com:80/stories/201008161197.html|title=allAfrica.com: South Africa: Contaminated Olifants River Running Out of Time|website=allafrica.com}}{{cite book |last1=Smit |first1=NJ |url=http://www.wrc.org.za/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/1922-1-121.pdf |title=Conservation of tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus, in the Kruger National Park with the emphasis on establishing the suitability of the water quantity and quality requirements for the Olifants and Luvuvhu rivers: report to the Water Research Commission |last2=Wepener |first2=V |last3=Vlok |first3=W |last4=Wagenaar |first4=GM |last5=van Vuren |first5=JHJ |date=2013 |publisher=Water Research Commission |isbn=978-1-4312-0358-1 |location=Gezina [South Africa] |page=vi |access-date=28 February 2022}}

|

|Osun State, {{Flag|Nigeria}}

|

|One of the river goddesses in Yorubaland.{{cite book |author=Joseph M. Murphy, Mei-Mei Sanford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIx0TjQb8yEC&q=Osun+River&pg=PA10 |title=Osun across the Waters: A Yoruba Goddess in Africa and the Americas |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780253108630 |page=10}} In 2018, the river suddenly began to change color due to gold mining. The river recorded the highest level of microplastics ever reported in river water globally in early 2024.{{Cite journal |last1=Aina Idowu |first1=Gideon |last2=Oriji |first2=Adewumi Yetunde |last3=Olorunfemi |first3=Kehinde Oluwasiji |last4=Sunday |first4=Michael Oluwatoyin |last5=Sogbanmu |first5=Temitope Olawunmi |last6=Bodunwa |first6=Oluwatoyin Kikelomo |last7=Shokunbi |first7=Oluwatosin Sarah |last8=Aiyesanmi |first8=Ademola Festus |date=February 2024 |title=Why Nigeria should ban single-use plastics: Excessive microplastic pollution of the water, sediments and fish species in Osun River, Nigeria |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances |volume=13 |pages=4 |doi=10.1016/j.hazadv.2024.100409 |bibcode=2024JHzMA..1300409I |doi-access=free }}{{Cite news |last=VANDERHAEGHEN |first=YVES |date=8 March 2024 |title=Microplastics ban and Nigeria's Osun River |url=https://www.thecable.ng/microplastic-ban-in-nigeria/ |access-date=22 April 2024 |work=TheCable}}

|Plastic pollution, heavy metals and cyanide contamination as a result of illegal gold mining, and human generated waste.{{Cite web |last=Akindele |first=Emmanuel O. |date=2022-09-27 |title=Nigeria's sacred Osun River supports millions of people - but pollution is making it unsafe |url=http://theconversation.com/nigerias-sacred-osun-river-supports-millions-of-people-but-pollution-is-making-it-unsafe-191152 |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}

|Threatening the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

|+

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|Assam, {{Flag|India}}

|

|One of the most polluted rivers in the state of Assam.{{Cite web |title=Conservation of River Bharalu, Guwahati -Preparation of Detailed Project Report |url=http://www.pcbassam.org/rlcc/BHARALU/Bhalaru%20City%20Sanitation%20Plan_Draft%20Final.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910195154/http://pcbassam.org/rlcc/BHARALU/Bhalaru%20City%20Sanitation%20Plan_Draft%20Final.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2016 |access-date=19 September 2020 |website=Pollution Control Board, Assam |language=en}} The biochemical oxygen demand of the river is 52 mg/L in compared to the permissible limit set by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) at 3 mg/L.{{Cite web |title=Polluted flows the Bharalu |url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/top-headlines/polluted-flows-the-bharalu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205083150/https://www.sentinelassam.com/top-headlines/polluted-flows-the-bharalu/ |archive-date=5 December 2020 |access-date=29 February 2016 |website=The Sentinel |date=28 February 2016 |language=en}}

|Guwahati city's municipal wastes.

|The obnoxious smell generated by the river is also a health hazard for the residents of Guwahati.

|{{Flag|India}}

|

|Constructed during British rule, no longer used due to rail and road travel. The most polluted waterway in Chennai.{{cite news |last=Lakshmi |first=K. |author2=Deepa H Ramakrishnan |date=29 September 2011 |title=Untreated sewage pollutes waterways |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2495513.ece |access-date=2 Oct 2011 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai}}

|Sewage and industrial effluents from industrial and agricultural units in Chennai, including North Chennai Thermal Power Station. Nearly 60% of the estimated 55 million litres of untreated sewage produced by Chennai is dumped into it daily.

|The silting up of the canal left the water stagnant, creating an attractive habitat for malaria-spreading mosquitoes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/mrts-stations-encroach-canal-410|title=Encroachment of MRTS stations on the Canal}}

|Dhaka, {{Flag|Bangladesh}}

|

|Economically very important to Dhaka.{{cite news |last=Majumder |first=Azad |date=19 May 2009 |title=Bangladesh river pollution threatens millions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rivers-idUSTRE54I04G20090519 |access-date=9 January 2020 |work=Reuters}}{{cite news |date=23 October 2015 |title=The river runs black: pollution from Bangladesh's tanneries – in pictures |url=http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/gallery/2015/oct/23/the-river-runs-black-pollution-from-bangladeshs-tanneries-in-pictures |access-date=9 January 2020 |website=the Guardian}} Ranks among the most polluted rivers in the country.

|Chemical waste of mills and factories, household waste, medical waste, sewage, dead animals, plastics, and oil, primarily among nine industrial areas lacking industrial wastewater treatment plants.{{cite magazine |date=25 October 2002 |title=Pollution control and tannery relocation |url=http://www.leathermag.com/features/featurepollution-control-and-tannery-relocation/ |access-date=22 February 2017 |magazine=Leather International |publisher=Global Trade Media}}{{cite web |date=8 October 2012 |title=Toxic Tanneries: The Health Repercussions of Bangladesh's Hazaribagh Leather |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2012/10/08/toxic-tanneries/health-repercussions-bangladeshs-hazaribagh-leather |access-date=22 February 2017 |website=Human Rights Watch}}{{cite news |last=Aulakh |first=Raveena |date=12 October 2013 |title=Bangladesh's tanneries make the sweatshops look good |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/clothesonyourback/2013/10/12/bangladeshs_tanneries_make_the_sweatshops_look_good.html |access-date=22 February 2017 |newspaper=Toronto Star}}

|

|West Java, {{flag|Indonesia}}

|~5,000,000{{cite journal |author=Nana Terangna Bukit |year=1995 |title=Water quality conservation for the Citarum River in West Java |url=http://www.iwaponline.com/wst/03109/wst031090001.htm |url-status=dead |journal=Water Science and Technology |publisher=IWA Publishing |publication-date=May 1995 |volume=31 |issue=9 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1016/0273-1223(95)00400-h |issn=0273-1223 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225134/http://www.iwaponline.com/wst/03109/wst031090001.htm |archive-date=26 September 2007|url-access=subscription }}

|Longest and largest river in West Java, Indonesia.{{cite web |title=Citarum Nadiku, Mari Rebut Kembali |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/id/campaigns/toxics/Air/citarum/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329123741/https://www.greenpeace.org/archive-indonesia/campaigns/toxics/Air/citarum/ |archive-date=29 March 2019 |access-date=4 March 2014 |publisher=Greenpeace |language=id}} Described by the Asian Development Bank as the world's most polluted river.{{cite news |author=Collins |first=Nancy-Amelia |date=5 December 2008 |title=ADB Gives Indonesia $500 Million to Clean Up World's Dirtiest River |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2008-12-05-voa15-66736547/561737.html |access-date=24 May 2010 |work=VOA News}}

|2,000 industries, primarily textile factories, contaminate 5,020 sq miles of the river with over 20,000 tons of waste and 340,000 tons of wastewater daily. Toxins include lead, mercury, arsenic, sulphites, nonylphenol, Phthalates, PCB 180, paranitrophenol, and tributylphosphate.{{cite news |author=Leahy |first=Stephen |date=8 November 2013 |title=Toxic towns and poisoned rivers: a byproduct of industry for the rich |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/nov/08/toxic-towns-poisoned-rivers-byproduct-industry |access-date=9 November 2013 |work=The Guardian}}{{Cite web |title=Indonesia's Citarum: The World's Most Polluted River |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/indonesias-citarum-the-worlds-most-polluted-river/ |access-date=2020-03-05 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2017-03-13 |title=The Death of the Citarum River: Indonesia's Most Toxic Waterway |url=https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/death-citarum-river-indonesias-most-toxic-waterway |access-date=2020-03-05 |website=Pulitzer Center |language=en}}

|Elimination of a significant part of the river's fish population, estimated at 60% since 2008.

|Tamil Nadu, {{Flag|India}}

|9,000 families

|Called "a stinking cesspool" in poetry and journalism.{{cite news |last=Ramakrishnan |first=T. |date=14 December 2009 |title=City awash with dreams of a clean Cooum |url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/14/stories/2009121458650300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217174740/http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/14/stories/2009121458650300.htm |archive-date=17 December 2009 |access-date=1 September 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai}}{{Cite news |last=Umachandran |first=Shalini |date=18 August 2009 |title=Madras in its many moods |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Madras-in-its-many-moods/articleshow/4904372.cms |access-date=17 June 2021 |work=The Times of India}} World Bank-funded project and shows that it is 80 per cent more polluted than treated sewer.

|An estimated {{convert|55|e6l|USgal}} of untreated sewage from government agencies like Chennai Corporation and local businesses, leading to high faecal coliform bacteria, pesticide, lead, zinc and cadmium levels.{{cite news |last=Lopez |first=Aloysius Xavier |date=4 July 2018 |title=Demolition along Cooum gathers pace |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/demolition-along-cooum-gathers-pace/article24325061.ece |access-date=15 July 2018 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai}}{{Cite news |last=Lakshmi |first=K. |author2=Deepa H. Ramakrishnan |date=29 September 2011 |title=Untreated sewage pollutes waterways |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2495513.ece |access-date=2 October 2011 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai}}

|Fish were able to survive in the water for only 3 to 5 hours even after samples were diluted. Almost zero dissolved oxygen.

|{{Flag|India}}

|Tens of millions of people{{cite web |date=29 April 2020 |title=The Mighty River {{vbar}} Ganga: River From The Skies {{vbar}} National Geographic |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gYQrebGwY |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109062104/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gYQrebGwY |archive-date=9 November 2023 |access-date=9 November 2023 |publisher=National Geographic Society}}

|The most sacred river to Hindus.{{citation |last=Alter |first=Stephen |title=Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage Up the Ganges River to the Source of Hindu Culture |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qb9yQgAACAAJ |access-date=30 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324113652/https://books.google.com/books?id=qb9yQgAACAAJ |archive-date=24 March 2023 |url-status=live |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers |isbn=978-0-15-100585-7}} Levels of fecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than 100 times the Indian government's official limit.{{citation |last=Rice |first=Earle |title=The Ganges River |page=25 |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdeXBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |access-date=22 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328172550/https://books.google.com/books?id=vdeXBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=28 March 2024 |url-status=live |publisher=Mitchell Lane Publishers, Incorporated |isbn=978-1612283685}}

|Failure of the Ganga Action Plan due to corruption and poor planning/expertise.

|Main article: Pollution of the Ganges

|Southern Beirut region, {{Flag|Lebanon}}{{Cite thesis |last=Bazzi |first=Mariam |date=22 September 2020 |title=Reclaiming Riparian Landscapes: The Case of Al-Ghadir River in Southern Beirut |url=https://scholarworks.aub.edu.lb/handle/10938/21897?show=full |journal=AUB Students' Theses, Dissertations, and Projects |pages=91}}

|About 120,000 inhabitants in the Hayy El-Sellom neighborhood.{{Cite web |last=Mona Fawwaz and Isabella Peillen |title=Urban Slums Reports: The case of Beirut, Lebanon |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/cities/beirut.htm |access-date=23 November 2021 |website=United Nations Human Settlements Programme}}

|The most polluted river in Lebanon, described in 2017 by Lebanese minister of public works Youssef Fenianos as no longer normal water, but sewage water.{{Cite news |title=نهر الغدير... عيب! |url=https://al-akhbar.com/Community/224839 |access-date=2021-11-23 |website=الأخبار |language=ar}}

|Industrial zones by the river.

|Floods of sewage water in settllements near the river, leading to periodic displacement.{{Cite journal |last=Bou Akar |first=Hiba |date=2012 |title=Contesting Beirut's Frontiers |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260414578 |journal=City & Society |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=150–172 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-744X.2012.01073.x}} Believed to contribute to elevated rates of asthmatic and skin diseases, especially in children.

|Aktobe Region, {{Flag|Kazakhstan}}, and Orenburg Oblast, {{Flag|Russia}}.[http://bse.sci-lib.com/article052547.html Илек], Great Soviet Encyclopedia

|

|The most polluted water body in the Ural-Caspian basin."Water resources of Kazakhstan in the new millennium," Water Resources Committee of RK, 2002

|Boron and chromium in the river caused by the tailing ponds of former chemical plants via ground water.

|

|{{Flag|China}}, Kashmir (disputed region), {{Flag|Pakistan}}

|

|Birthplace of the Indus Valley Civilisation in the Bronze Age.{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArReCgAAQBAJ |title=Daily Life in the Indus Valley Civilization |publisher=Raintree |year=2016 |isbn=978-1406298574 |page=6}}

Second among a group of ten rivers responsible for about 90% of all the plastic that reaches the oceans.{{cite web |title=Almost all plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers – 30.11.2017 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822181401/https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 |archive-date=22 August 2018 |access-date=22 August 2018 |website=DW.COM |quote=about 90 per cent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans gets flushed through just 10 rivers: The Yangtze, the Indus, Yellow River, Hai River, the Nile, the Ganges, Pearl River, Amur River, the Niger, and the Mekong (in that order). |ref={{sfnref | DW.COM}}}}{{cite journal |last1=Schmidt |first1=Christian |last2=Krauth |first2=Tobias |last3=Wagner |first3=Stephan |date=11 October 2017 |title=Export of Plastic Debris by Rivers into the Sea |url=http://oceanrep.geomar.de/43169/4/es7b02368_si_001.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Environmental Science & Technology |publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) |volume=51 |issue=21 |pages=12246–12253 |bibcode=2017EnST...5112246S |doi=10.1021/acs.est.7b02368 |issn=0013-936X |pmid=29019247 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914225406/http://oceanrep.geomar.de/43169/4/es7b02368_si_001.pdf |archive-date=14 September 2020 |access-date=25 August 2020}}

|

|Endangerment of the Indus river dolphin.{{cite news |date=3 December 2008 |title=SEPA orders polluting factory to stop production |url=http://archives.dawn.com/2008/12/03/local8.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101112712/http://archives.dawn.com/2008/12/03/local8.htm |archive-date=1 November 2013 |access-date=28 June 2012 |newspaper=Dawn}}

|Jordan, Israel, Syria, Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of West Bank

|

|The river holds major significance in Judaism and Christianity. According to the Bible, the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land and Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist in it.{{cite web |date=25 July 2013 |title=An Interfaith Look at the Jordan River |url=http://www.interfaithsustain.com/an-interfaith-look-at-the-jordan-river/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418195919/http://www.interfaithsustain.com/an-interfaith-look-at-the-jordan-river/ |archive-date=18 April 2017 |access-date=16 January 2017}}

|Dumping of sewage and brackish water, coupled with lack of cooperation between Israel and neighboring Arab states."Endangered Jordan", Dateline World Jewry, World Jewish Congress, September, 2007

|Destruction of the 100-kilometre downstream stretch's ecosystem, which environmentalists stated could take decades to undo.{{cite news |last=Plushnick-Masti |first=Ramil |date=10 September 2006 |title=Raw Sewage Taints Sacred Jordan River |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091001354.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111151807/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091001354.html |archive-date=11 November 2012 |access-date=10 October 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

|Haifa District, {{Flag|Israel}}

|

|Considered the most polluted river in Israel by several government authorities. Mentioned six times in the Hebrew Bible.{{Cite journal |last=Andersson |first=Hilary |date=2000-09-25 |title=The Holy Land's poisonous river |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/941317.stm |journal=BBC News |publisher=BBC News Online |access-date=2007-08-28}}

|Daily contamination for over 40 years with mercury, other heavy metals, and organic chemicals by nearby chemical plants, including Haifa Chemicals.{{Cite journal |last1=Herut |first1=B. |last2=Kress |first2=N. |last3=Hornung |first3=H. |date=2000-07-01 |title=Nutrient pollution at the lower reaches of Mediterranean coastal rivers in Israel |url=https://iwaponline.com/wst/article/42/1-2/147/9809/Nutrient-pollution-at-the-lower-reaches-of |journal=Water Science and Technology |language=en |volume=42 |issue=1–2 |pages=147–152 |doi=10.2166/wst.2000.0306 |bibcode=2000WSTec..42..147H |issn=0273-1223|url-access=subscription }}

|Has caught on fire several times due to chemical contaminants. Found that three hours to the river's water led to DNA damage in rainbow-trout liver-cells to be on average threefold that of unpolluted water.{{aut|Avishai, Nanthawan; Rabinowitz, Claudette; Moiseeva, Elisabeth & Rinkevich, Baruch}} (2002): Genotoxicity of the Kishon River, Israel: the application of an in vitro cellular assay. Mutation Research 518(1): 21–37. {{doi|10.1016/S1383-5718(02)00069-4}} (HTML abstract) Shayetet 13 veterans were provided compensation after developing sickness and higher occurrences of cancer after training near the river.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/defense-ministry-to-recognize-soldiers-who-swam-in-toxic-river-as-disabled-veterans/|title=Defense Ministry to recognize soldiers who swam in toxic river as disabled veterans|first=Judah Ari|last=Gross|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}

|Central Luzon, {{Flag|Philippines}}

|~250,000 people

|Marilao and Meycauayan together deemed among the world's 30 most polluted places in the developing world in a 2007 study.{{Cite news |title=Meycauayan, Marilao in world's 'Dirty 30'-- report |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=89091 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607035342/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=89091 |archive-date=2009-06-07 |access-date=2007-09-17 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}

|Per the Blacksmith Institute: “Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Meycauayan, Marilao and Obando River system”

|

|Telangana, {{Flag|India}}

|

|Ranked as the 22nd most polluted river in the world.{{cite news |last=Akbar |first=Syed |date=17 May 2022 |title=Lifeline Musi 22nd most toxic river in the world, virtual drug lab |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/lifeline-musi-22nd-most-toxic-river-in-world-virtual-drug-lab/articleshow/91605392.cms |access-date=21 February 2023 |newspaper=The Times of India}}

|Active pharmaceutical ingredients, concentration of 12,000 nanograms per litre. Includes caffeine, nicotine, acetaminophen, metformin, gabapentin, ketoconazole, and antibiotics.

|Antibiotic resistance, feminization of fish, and making fish more susceptible to predation.

|National Capital Region, {{Flag|Philippines}}

|Metro Manila

|Ranked as the largest contributor of plastic waste to the world's oceans in 2021.{{Cite news |last=Enano |first=Jhesset O. |date=2021-06-15 |title=Pasig River world's top dumper of plastics in the ocean, says study |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1446186/pasig-river-worlds-top-dumper-of-plastics-in-the-ocean-says-study |access-date=2024-09-11 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=A.Y. |date=2021-06-09 |title=Pasig is world's most polluting river — study |url=https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2021/06/10/374603/pasig-is-worlds-most-polluting-river-study/ |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=Business World |language=en-US}}

|Household waste and industries

|Considered biologically dead by 1990,[http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=197 Pasig River Rehabilitation Program] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012123338/http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=197|date=2007-10-12}}{{Cite news |last=Baclig |first=Cristina Eloisa |date=2021-06-15 |title=Pasig River makes international waves despite being dead |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1446482/pasig-river-makes-international-waves-despite-being-dead |access-date=2023-10-05 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |language=en}} although aquatic life has since returned due to rehabilitation efforts.{{Cite web |last=News |first=G. M. A. |date=2018-10-17 |title=Pasig River rehabilitation program feted in first Asia RiverPrize awards |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/671483/pasig-river-rehabilitation-program-feted-in-first-asia-riverprize-awards/story/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=GMA News Online |language=en}}

|Kerala, {{Flag|India}}

|

|Significantly polluted in its lower reaches.{{cite web |year=2013 |title=Save river campaign set to engulf Kerala |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130520/news-current-affairs/article/save-river-campaign-set-engulf-kerala |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811235503/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130520/news-current-affairs/article/save-river-campaign-set-engulf-kerala |archive-date=11 August 2013 |access-date=20 May 2013 |publisher=The Deccan Chronicle |location=India}}

|Eloor industrial zone industries dumping waste including DDT, endosulfan, hexa and trivalent chromium, lead, cyanide, and BHC.{{Cite web|url=http://www.greenpeace.org:80/india/campaigns/toxics-free-future/toxic-hotspots/eloor-kerala/history-and-chronology|title=History and Chronology|website=www.greenpeace.org}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.kerenvis.nic.in:80/files/water-quality/periyar.pdf|title=Wayback Machine|website=www.kerenvis.nic.in}}

|Many biologically dead zones, with pollution almost wiping out traditional occupations along the river and its wetlands, including fishing and farming.

|{{Flag|India}}, {{Flag|Pakistan}}

|

|Regarded in 2022 studies as the most contaminated river globally, with pharmaceutical residues such as paracetamol, nicotine, caffeine, and medications for epilepsy and diabetes detected in its waters.{{cite news |last1=Lai |first1=Olivia |date=11 May 2022 |title=Pakistan's Ravi is Most Polluted River in the World from Pharmaceutical Pollution |url=https://earth.org/most-polluted-river-in-the-world-pharmaceutical-pollution/ |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=Earth.Org}}

|Careless disposal of large amount of industrial and agricultural wastewater and faulty drainage systems in both nations, especially in the Lahore metropolitan area.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan, India Join Hands to Clean Canal |url=http://www.riverbasin.org/newsmaster.cfm?&menuid=45&action=view&retrieveid=152 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724140814/http://www.riverbasin.org/newsmaster.cfm?&menuid=45&action=view&retrieveid=152 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=18 April 2010 |publisher=River Basin Initiative}}

|

|Gujarat and Rajasthan, {{Flag|India}}

|

|Its Kheroj-Vautha stretch was named by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as among the most polluted river stretches in India.{{cite news |author=Jacob Koshy |date=2018-09-17 |title=More river stretches are critically polluted: Central Pollution Control Board |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/more-river-stretches-critically-polluted-cpcb/article24962440.ece |newspaper=The Hindu}}

|Further polluted by the Ahmedabad civic body's failure to build a sewage treatment plant in Motera.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-15 |title=Delay in Motera STP project turns river into toxic channel |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/delay-in-motera-stp-project-turns-river-into-toxic-channel/articleshow/110129541.cms |access-date=2024-11-28 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}

|

|Delhi, {{Flag|India}}

|

|Dehli's most polluted body of water.[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=138509 Blot across the Capital: Najafgarh most polluted]{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Sunday, 10 July 2005,The Indian Express[https://archive.today/20140107054520/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=118627Environment minister raises a stink over Najafgarh jheel], 22 February 2005, The Indian Express[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/najafgarh-basin-delhis-most-polluted-area/558870/ Najafgarh basin Delhi's most polluted area], 25 December 2009, The Indian Express[https://web.archive.org/web/20110912184105/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-25/pollution/28101026_1_industrial-clusters-industrial-hubs-najafgarh-drain Najafgarh drain 11th among highly polluted industrial clusters], 25 December 2009, The Times of India[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191225Najafgarh drain causes less pollution in Yamuna now]{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, 4 July 2006, The Indian Express

|Direct inflow of untreated sewage from surrounding populated areas.

|

|{{Flag|Russia}}

|28,000 residents formerly, 23 of 24 settlements evacuated.{{cite journal |last=Clay |first=Rebecca |date=April 2001 |title=Cold War, Hot Nukes: Legacy of an Era |url=http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109-4/focus.html |url-status=dead |journal=Environmental Health Perspectives |publisher=National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |volume=109 |issue=4 |pages=a162–a169 |doi=10.1289/ehp.109-a162 |pmc=1240291 |pmid=11335195 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602054832/http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109-4/focus.html |archive-date=2 June 2010 |access-date=29 September 2010}}

|

|Mayak complex[http://www.rdc.gov.lv/nucpedia/uk/river.htm Techa River] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911205042/http://www.rdc.gov.lv/nucpedia/uk/river.htm|date=11 September 2007}} dumped an estimated {{convert|76|e6m3|cuft}} of radioactive waste water into the Techa River,{{Cite web|url=https://logtv.com/chelyabinsk/|title=Chelyabinsk | LOGTV | Slawomir Grünberg|date=October 4, 2015}} a cumulative dispersal of {{convert|2.75|MCi|PBq|lk=on|abbr=on}} of radioactivity.{{cite web |last=Pike |first=John |title=Chelyabinsk-65 / Ozersk Combine 817 / Production Association Mayak |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/chelyabinsk-65_nuc.htm |access-date=29 September 2010 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org}}

|In the past 45 years, about half a million people in the region have been irradiated in one or more of the incidents,{{Cite web |title=Radioactive Contamination of the Techa River and its Effects |url=http://phys4.harvard.edu/~wilson/publications/pp747/techa_cor.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050315111114/http://phys4.harvard.edu/%7Ewilson/publications/pp747/techa_cor.htm |archive-date=15 March 2005 |access-date=6 March 2008}}{{cite web |last=Zaitchik |first=Alexander |date=8 October 2007 |title=Inside the Zone |url=http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=13122&IBLOCK_ID=35 |access-date=29 September 2010 |publisher=The Exile}} exposing them to as much as 20 times the radiation suffered by the Chernobyl disaster victims.

|Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, {{Flag|India}}

|1 million people

|Regarded as among the most polluted rivers in India due to it turning dark brown and developed a pungent odor downriver of industries.{{cite web |title=River Krishna |url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Crisis/river-krishna.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226013942/http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Crisis/river-krishna.htm |archive-date=26 February 2020 |website=rainwaterharvesting.org |publisher=Centre for Science and Environment}}

|Industry and mining on its banks in the Chikkamagaluru, Shimoga, Davangere, Haveri, Vijayanagara, Bellary, Koppal and Raichur districts of Karnataka and in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 30 million liters of effluents released into the Tunga from the lone non-mining Shimoga each year."The Hindu, 6 June 2008

|Regularly impacts village fishermen due to fish kills, and causes health impacts to residents in its sub-basin relying on its water for drinking, bathing, irrigating crops, fishing and livestock water.

|Nashik and Palghar district of Maharashtra, {{Flag|India}}

|

|Supplies much of Mumbai's drinking water.{{cite news |last=Badri Chaterjee |date=4 October 2017 |title=Maharashtra has the most polluted rivers in India: Report |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-has-the-most-polluted-rivers-in-india-report/story-niJlawYJcUykXtDmo1DQzJ.html |access-date=18 October 2017 |work=Hindustan Times |location=Mumbai}}

|One of the most polluted rivers in India, primarily in its lower stretches.

|Untreated industrial and civic waste

|Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, {{Flag|India}}

|57 million people{{cite book |last1=Jain |first1=Sharad K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKs1gBhJSWIC&q=Yamuna+River&pg=RA1-PA345 |title=Hydrology and water resources of India—Volume 57 of Water science and technology library |last2=Agarwal |first2=Pushpendra K. |last3=Singh |first3=Vijay P. |publisher=Springer |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4020-5179-1 |pages=344–354 |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923061108/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKs1gBhJSWIC&q=Yamuna+River&pg=RA1-PA345#v=snippet&q=Yamuna%20River&f=false |archive-date=23 September 2024 |url-status=live}}

|Second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge, and the longest tributary in India. Accounts for more than 70 percent of Delhi's water supply. Highly venerated in Hinduism and worshipped as the goddess Yamuna.

Receives 800 million litres of largely untreated sewage and additional 44 million litres of industrial effluents each day.{{cite news |last1=Sukanan |first1=Darunee |date=26 November 2019 |title=A 'sacred' river in India has become polluted beyond belief |url=https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/a-river-deemed-sacred-in-india-has-become-polluted-beyond-belief/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128161921/https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/a-river-deemed-sacred-in-india-has-become-polluted-beyond-belief/ |archive-date=28 November 2019 |access-date=28 November 2019 |work=Sustainability Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Urban Metabolism of River Yamuna in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308180160 |access-date=25 November 2020 |website=ResearchGate |language=en}}

|Discharge of wastewater in Delhi, with New Delhi dumping about 58% of its waste into the river.

|

|{{Flag|China}}

|Nearly one-third of China's population[https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/yangtze quote="Today, the Yangtze region is home to more than 400 million people, or nearly one-third of China's population. Some of China's largest cities"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213085915/https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/yangtze|date=December 13, 2017}} [http://www.cjw.gov.cn/index/river/liuyugk-3.asp?link=1]{{dead link|date=July 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{in lang|zh}}

|The fifth-largest primary river by discharge volume in the world. In September 2012, the Yangtze river near Chongqing turned red from pollution.{{cite web |last=ABC News |date=September 7, 2012 |title=Yangtze River Turns Red and Turns Up a Mystery |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/yangtze-river-turns-red-and-turns-up-a-mystery/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112170920/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/yangtze-river-turns-red-and-turns-up-a-mystery/ |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |website=ABC News}}

|Industrial pollution, plastic pollution, agricultural runoff, siltation, untreated industrial and municipal sewage, and discharge of waste from pig farms.WWF UK Case Study 2011 / HSBC:Safeguarding the Yangtze. Celebrating 10 years of conservation success.{{cite web |last=China Daily |date=July 12, 2005 |title=Isolated Yangtze lakes reunited with mother river |url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/12/eng20050712_195638.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830212154/http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/12/eng20050712_195638.html |archive-date=August 30, 2014 |access-date=October 25, 2011}}{{Cite web |title=90 percent of ocean plastic waste comes from Asia and Africa • Earth.com |url=https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-plastic-waste-asia-africa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109110915/https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-plastic-waste-asia-africa/ |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |access-date=January 9, 2019 |website=Earth.com}}

|Produces more ocean plastic pollution than any other.{{cite web |title=Almost all plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers – 30.11.2017 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822181401/https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 |archive-date=August 22, 2018 |access-date=August 22, 2018 |website=Deutsche Welle |quote=about 90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans gets flushed through just 10 rivers: The Yangtze, the Indus, Yellow River, Hai River, the Nile, the Ganges, Pearl River, Amur River, the Niger, and the Mekong (in that order). |ref={{sfnref | DW.COM}}}}

|{{Flag|China}}

|120 million people, over 420 million people live in the immediate provinces which rely on it as a water source.{{Cite web |last1=Cardascia |first1=Silvia |last2=Panella |first2=Tom |date=October 2023 |title=Achieving Water Security in the Yellow River Basin |url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/915266/adb-brief-260-water-security-yellow-river-basin.pdf |access-date=25 August 2024 |website=ADB Briefs}}

|Second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest river system on Earth. Birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.{{Cite book |last1=Mostern |first1=Ruth |title=The Yellow River: A Natural and Unnatural History |last2=Horne |first2=Ryan M. |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-300-23833-4 |pages=58 |jstor=j.ctv1vbd1d8}}

|4.29 billion tons of waste and sewage discharged in 2007 alone, mainly from urban factories and manufacturing facilities.{{Cite web |title=Pollution worsens on the Yellow River system -- china.org.cn |url=http://www.china.org.cn/environment/news/2008-11/24/content_16814683.htm |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.china.org.cn}}

|One-third of the river's course rendered unusable even for agricultural or industrial use.{{Cite news |date=2004-09-16 |title=行程3000公里 亲眼目睹黄河水污染现状(组图) |trans-title=Travelling 3000km to document the pollution of the Yellow River in pictures |url=http://finance.sina.com.cn/x/20040916/09041027452.shtml |work=北京青年报 |via=Sina}}

|{{Flag|Jordan}}

|Population of Zarqa

|The Zarqa's water is brownish colored, often with dense foam due to large amounts of organic matter.{{Cite web|url=http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a65/05002218.pdf|title=Water scarcity in relation to food security and sustainable use of biodiversity in Jordan}}

|Raw sewage, Illegal dumping of industrial waste.{{cite web |date=2008-03-05 |title=IUCN - Roadmap for Restoration of the Zarqa River Laid Out |url=https://www.iucn.org/content/roadmap-restoration-zarqa-river-laid-out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828231907/https://www.iucn.org/content/roadmap-restoration-zarqa-river-laid-out |archive-date=2017-08-28 |access-date=2017-08-28 |publisher=IUCN}}

|Has a stench which has been a cause of numerous complaints, particularly during the summer months.

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|{{Flag|Serbia}}

|

|Included in Serbia's "three black points". Considered one of the most polluted reservoirs in Europe.{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs/src/upload-centar/dokumenti/izvestaji/izvestaj_o_radu_ministarstva.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612093906/http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs/src/upload-centar/dokumenti/izvestaji/izvestaj_o_radu_ministarstva.pdf |archivedate=2009-06-12 |accessdate=2012-07-13}}

|Decades of dumping from Industrial town of Vrbas, resulting in 400,000 tons of silt which contains heavy metals and oil waste.

|Dangerous to bathe in and hazardous to the health of nearby populations.

|West Yorkshire, {{Flag|England}}

|

|Would run different opaque colours from day to day in the 1950s.{{cite web |date=2 January 2005 |title=A good clean up |url=http://www.ehj-online.com/archive/2000/january2005/january2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526200839/http://www.ehj-online.com/archive/2000/january2005/january2.html |archive-date=26 May 2005 |website=EHJ online}}

|Buildup of byproducts from mining activities, textile industries, disused tar distillery in Mirfield, sewage, and more recently, chemical plants.

|Loss of wildlife.

|{{Flag|Russia}} and {{Flag|Ukraine}}

|

|Heavily contaminated with fertilizers, petroleum, phenols, zinc, chromium and copper.Kimstach, pp. 192, 214, 258, 388–394{{cite book |author=Daniel P. Loucks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p8Q17IQEaOoC&pg=PA182 |title=Restoration of degraded rivers: challenges, issues, and experiences |publisher=Springer |year=1998 |isbn=0-7923-4942-3 |page=182}}

|Contaminated by industrial and communal wastes of Belgorod, Izium and Shebekino cities, and Donetsk and Luhansk regions.Wisniewski В.І. Гідрологічні characteristics річок Ukraine, Ніка-Center, Kyiv, 2003 (in Ukrainian)

|Stretches near Kozenyi Butt, Bakhmut, and Lugan are so polluted that consuming fish caught there is dangerous.

|Cornwall, England, {{Flag|United Kingdom}}

|

|Described as the most polluted river in England.{{cite journal |last1=Lawton |first1=Graham |date=25 February 2023 |title=How healthy is your river? |volume=257 |issue=3427 |page=20 |journal=New Scientist|doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(23)00335-4 }}

|In 2021, raw sewage was discharged straight into the river for over 7,500 hours as a consequence of the 100-year old sewage system being overwhelmed by heavy rain.

|

|

• {{Flag|Kosovo}}
• {{Flag|Montenegro}}
• {{Flag|Serbia}}

|Population of Kraljevo

|Regarded as the most polluted river in Serbia.{{Cite web |title=doiFil / Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade |url=https://doi.fil.bg.ac.rs/volume.php?pt=journals&issue=srbjgeosci-2021-7-1&i=3 |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=doi.fil.bg.ac.rs}}

|Frequent spills of phenol

|Significant health impacts to the population of Kraljevo.

|{{Flag|Albania}}

|

|

|Untreated wastewater from industry and the city of Tirana, leading to quantities of ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, and suspended solids that exceed EU legal limits on several different measures.Alqiviadh Cullaj, Agim Hasko, Aleko Miho, Ferdinand Schanz, Helmut Brandl, Reinhard Bachofen: The quality of Albanian natural waters and the human impact, in: Environment International 31 (2005)

|At its mouth, the river smells very bad and the bay is polluted by the wastewater, plastic, and other detritus from Tirana, which threatens an important sea turtle breeding ground.{{cite web |author=Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) |date=December 2009 |title=Monitoring and Conservation of Important Sea Turtle Feeding Grounds in the Patok Area of Albania: Annual Report 2009 |url=http://www.seaturtle.org/PDF/WhiteM_2009_MEDASSETGEFSGPRACSPAUNEPMAPMinistryofEnvironmentAlbaniaNaturalHistoryMuseumAlbaniaHASAlbaniaUniversityofTiranaECATTechReport.pdf |access-date=2015-12-29 |work=Seaturtle.org}}

|{{Flag|Serbia}}

|

|Among the most polluted rivers in Serbia, especially in the lower section, downstream from Bačka Topola.{{cite news |author=FoNet |date=29 September 2019 |title=Najzagađenije su reke u Vojvodini |trans-title=Most polluted rivers are in Vojvodina |url=https://www.danas.rs/drustvo/najzagadjenije-su-reke-u-vojvodini/ |newspaper=Danas |language=Serbian}}{{cite news |author=Nataša Kovačev |date=29 September 2019 |title=Krivaja postaje "Nemaja": Najduža vojvođanska reka, zbog navodnjavanja, nestaje |trans-title=Krivaja becomes "Nemaja": the longest river in Vojvodina is disappearing because of the irrigation |url=http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a530060/Krivaja-postaje-Nemaja-Najduza-vojvodjanska-reka-zbog-navodnjavanja-u-donjem-toku-nestaje.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230143424/http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a530060/Krivaja-postaje-Nemaja-Najduza-vojvodjanska-reka-zbog-navodnjavanja-u-donjem-toku-nestaje.html |archive-date=30 December 2019 |access-date=5 October 2019 |publisher=N1 |language=Serbian}}

|The dam upstream holds more water for farm irrigation during summers than it should, so the river is turned into the slow open sewage canal.

|Has been an "ecological black spot" for years.

|{{Flag|Austria}} and {{Flag|Slovenia}}

|

|The Meža has been the most polluted river in Slovenia. In 1982 the singer-songwriter {{ill|Marijan Smode|sl}} wrote a song about it titled "{{lang|sl|Mrtva reka|italic=no}}" (The Dead River).{{cite book |last1=Snoj |first1=Marko |title=Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen |date=2009 |publisher=Modrijan |location=Ljubljana |pages=261–262}}

|Mežica lead mine and the Ravne Steelworks ({{lang|sl|Železarna Ravne}}) conglomerate.

|

|

• {{Flag|Poland}}
• {{Flag|Czech Republic}}
• {{Flag|Germany}}

|

|Poland's second-longest river{{Cite web |last=kontakt@naukowiec.org |first=naukowiec.org |title=Największe rzeki w Polsce |url=http://www.naukowiec.org/tablice/geografia/najwieksze-rzeki-w-polsce_795.html |access-date=13 August 2018 |website=Naukowiec.org}}

|,Heavy industrialization of the area and large number of coal mines and chemical facilities.{{cite book |url=http://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/roczniki-statystyczne/roczniki-statystyczne/rocznik-statystyczny-gospodarki-morskiej-2013,11,6.html |title=Rocznik statystyczny gospodarki morskiej 2013 |date=2014-01-21 |publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny |place=Warszawa |pages=338 |chapter=Tabl. 10.6 Odpływ metali ciężkich rzekami do Morza Bałtyckiego w 2012 r. |quote="Results of the State Environmental Monitoring in the field of Water Monitoring" by Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection |access-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924183324/https://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/roczniki-statystyczne/roczniki-statystyczne/rocznik-statystyczny-gospodarki-morskiej-2013,11,6.html |archive-date=24 September 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=official statistic |url=https://www.gios.gov.pl/en/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728084629/http://www.gios.gov.pl/en |archive-date=28 July 2022 |access-date=18 August 2022 |publisher=GIOS}}{{Cite news |date=19 August 2022 |title=Rare golden algae may have caused fish deaths in Oder River, says minister |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/19/rare-golden-algae-may-have-caused-fish-deaths-in-oder-river-says-minister |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819110911/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/19/rare-golden-algae-may-have-caused-fish-deaths-in-oder-river-says-minister |archive-date=19 August 2022 |access-date=20 August 2022 |work=www.theguardian.com}}

|See: 2022 Oder environmental disaster, at least 135 tonnes of dead fish washed up on its shores.{{Cite web |last=Auto |first=Hermes |date=11 August 2022 |title=Dead fish in River Oder on Poland-Germany border spur contamination probe {{!}} The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/dead-fish-in-river-oder-on-polishgerman-border-spur-contamination-probe |access-date=11 August 2022 |website=www.straitstimes.com |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Strzelecki |first=Marek |date=11 August 2022 |title=Dead fish in River Oder on Polish/German border spur contamination probe |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dead-fish-river-oder-polishgerman-border-spur-contamination-probe-2022-08-11/ |access-date=11 August 2022 |work=Reuters |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=Ten tonnes of dead fish hauled out of polluted River Odra |url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/ten-tonnes-of-dead-fish-hauled-out-of-polluted-river-odra-32345 |access-date=11 August 2022 |website=www.thefirstnews.com |language=en}}

|Metropolitan City of Naples, {{Flag|Italy}}

|

|Partially used for irrigation, as well as the transportation of goods and fishing.{{cite journal |last1=Albanese |first1=S |last2=Iavazzo |first2=P |last3=Adamo |first3=P |last4=Lima |first4=A |last5=De Vivo |first5=B |year=2013 |title=Assessment of the environmental conditions of the Sarno river basin (south Italy): a stream sediment approach |journal=Environ Geochem Health |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=283–97 |doi=10.1007/s10653-012-9483-x |pmid=23053925 |bibcode=2013EnvGH..35..283A |s2cid=3427960}}

|Agricultural waste and insufficiently treated industrial waste water from 500 small industrial units.Peter Greenberg, Don't Go There! The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World. St Martins Press, 2008, S. 27–28{{Cite journal |last1=Montuori |first1=P. |last2=Lama |first2=P. |last3=Aurino |first3=S. |last4=Naviglio |first4=D. |last5=Triassi |first5=M. |date=March 2013 |title=Metals loads into the Mediterranean Sea: estimate of Sarno River inputs and ecological risk |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10646-012-1026-9 |journal=Ecotoxicology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=295–307 |doi=10.1007/s10646-012-1026-9 |pmid=23229134 |bibcode=2013Ecotx..22..295M |issn=0963-9292|url-access=subscription }}

|Has made bathing near the mouth of the river in the Tyrrhenian Sea impossible.

|Southwestern {{Flag|Spain}}

|

|Has a unique red and orange colour extending for 50 kilometres,{{Cite journal |last1=Fernández-Remolar |first1=David C. |last2=Morris |first2=Richard V. |last3=Gruener |first3=John E. |last4=Amils |first4=Ricardo |last5=Knoll |first5=Andrew H. |year=2005 |title=The Río Tinto Basin, Spain: Mineralogy, sedimentary geobiology, and implications for interpretation of outcrop rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=240 |issue=1 |pages=149–167 |bibcode=2005E&PSL.240..149F |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2005.09.043}} derived from its chemical makeup that is extremely acidic and with very high levels of iron and heavy metals.{{Cite journal |last1=Amaral Zettler |first1=Linda A. |last2=Messerli |first2=Mark A. |last3=Laatsch |first3=Abby D. |last4=Smith |first4=Peter J. S. |last5=Sogin |first5=Mitchell L. |date=2003-04-01 |title=From Genes to Genomes: Beyond Biodiversity in Spain's Rio Tinto |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/9238 |journal=The Biological Bulletin |volume=204 |issue=2 |pages=205–209 |doi=10.2307/1543560 |issn=0006-3185 |jstor=1543560 |pmid=12700155 |s2cid=25932347}} The name itself means "coloured river", in contrast to most rivers which are clear.

|Approximately 5,000 years of ore mining, including copper, silver, gold, and other minerals,{{cite web |last=Bordenstein |first=Sarah |title=Rio Tinto, Spain |url=http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/riotinto/ |access-date=March 3, 2009 |work=Science Education Resource Center |publisher=Carleton College}}.

|Environmental concerns based on long disused water reservoirs which might not be able to withstand the stress of renewed waste inputs.{{cite news |last=Minder |first=Raphael |date=April 12, 2012 |title=In Struggling Spanish Town, Hopes of Reopening Mine Are Delayed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/business/global/in-struggling-spanish-town-hopes-of-reopening-mine-are-delaye.html |access-date=April 13, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times}}

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|{{Flag|El Salvador}}

|1.7 million people

|One the most contaminated and polluted rivers in El Salvador.{{cite web |last1=Rubio |first1=Francisco |last2=Arias |first2=Mauro |date=21 April 2023 |title=¿Es Posible Rescatar al Río Acelhuate de Su Muerte? |trans-title=Is It Possible to Rescue the Acelhuate River from Its Death? |url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/contaminacion-de-rios-acelhuate/1055860/2023/ |access-date=29 July 2024 |work=El Diario de Hoy |language=es}}

|Domestic and industrial waste, containing iron, arsenic, lead, mercury, and zinc.{{cite news |last1=Meza |first1=Frederick |date=22 March 2018 |title=Aún Hay Vida en el Contaminado Acelhuate |trans-title=There is Still Life in the Polluted Acelhuate |url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Aun-hay-vida-en-el-contaminado-Acelhuate-20180321-0116.html |access-date=29 July 2024 |work=La Prensa Gráfica |language=es}}

|

|Maryland and Washington, D.C., {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Regarded as "D.C.'s forgotten river" due to weak investment and development along its banks and heavy pollution{{Cite news |date=2022-07-14 |title=The history of the Anacostia River - The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-history-of-the-anacostia-river/2012/05/01/gIQA1VuAxT_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714011905/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-history-of-the-anacostia-river/2012/05/01/gIQA1VuAxT_story.html |archive-date=2022-07-14 |access-date=2022-07-14 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

|Raw sewage discharges primarily during floods, and PCB contaminants from the Washington Navy Yard.{{cite news |last=Farenthold |first=David A. |date=2008-06-17 |title=Waste-Deep in the Big Muddy |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602520.html |newspaper=The Washington Post}} [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/interactives/anacostia/index.html Interactive map]{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Rianna |last2=Wilson |first2=Sacoby |date=April 29, 2015 |title=Should We Put Our Feet in the Water? Use of a Survey to Assess Recreational Exposures to Contaminants in the Anacostia River |journal=Environmental Health Insights |volume=9 |issue=Suppl 2 |pages=19–27 |bibcode=2015EnvHI...9S9594M |doi=10.4137/EHI.S19594 |pmc=4476373 |pmid=26124665}}

|Public health threat because of fecal coliform bacteria and other pathogens; it also impairs water quality and can create hypoxic conditions that lead to large fish kills and sickness of people who get water in their mouth.{{Cite web |title=Study Reveals D.C. Community near Anacostia River Are Eating and Sharing Contaminated Fish {{!}} response.restoration.noaa.gov |url=https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/study-reveals-dc-community-near-anacostia-river-are-eating-and-sharing-contaminated-fish |access-date=2020-05-29 |website=response.restoration.noaa.gov}}

|Massachusetts and Rhode Island, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Referred to by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “the most polluted river in the country because of high concentrations of toxic sediments.”{{Cite web |title=Blackstone River Watershed |url=http://www.ririvers.org/wsp/Watersheds/BlackstoneRiverWatershed.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316141911/http://www.ririvers.org/wsp/Watersheds/BlackstoneRiverWatershed.htm |archive-date=2012-03-16 |access-date=2010-12-28 |publisher=Rhode Island Rivers Council}}

|Primarily wastewater from the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District.{{Cite web|url=http://ubwpad.org/|title=Wayback Machine|website=ubwpad.org}}

|Rated as the worst category ("impaired") for all assessed uses ("aquatic life", "fish consumption", "primary contact" (e.g. swimming), "secondary contact" (e.g. boating) and "aesthetics").{{cite web |date=March 2010 |title=Blackstone River Watershed 2003–2007 Water Quality Assessment Report |url=http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/51wqar10.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113054252/http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/51wqar10.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2011 |access-date=12 September 2019 |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Division of Watershed Management |page=xi}}

|Ventura County, California, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Named the most polluted body of water in the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2009.{{cite news |date=July 22, 2009 |title=Calleguas Creek among most polluted |url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/calleguas-creek-among-most-polluted-ep-371498712-350733171.html |access-date=31 December 2018 |newspaper=Ventura County Star}}

|

|

|Oaxaca and Veracruz, {{Flag|Mexico}}

|

|Among the world's most contaminated rivers.[https://books.google.com/books?id=aA8SOiFWxZgC&dq=International+polluting+industries+going+to+Mexico&pg=PP11 Peter M. Garber The Mexico-US Free Trade Agreement], 19 January 1994

|Petrochemical industry of Mexico Pemex,[http://www.boell-latinoamerica.org/download_en/ING_CasoCoatzacoalcos.pdf Oil Spill in Coatzacoalcos River and Beach.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725092124/http://www.boell-latinoamerica.org/download_en/ING_CasoCoatzacoalcos.pdf|date=25 July 2011}} Veracruz, Republic of Mexico, 22 December 2004 lack of environmental laws protecting the public water.

|

|Western Pennsylvania, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|The second most polluted waterway in the United States in a 2000 study.{{cite news |last=Hopey |first=Don |date=2000-02-18 |title=Pa. ranks 2nd worst in toxic dumping |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20000218pollute2.asp |accessdate=2010-07-18 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}

|Armco Inc. steel facility in Butler, which ranked first nationally for the amount of pollutant discharges, which legally discharged more than 29 million pounds of nitrate compounds.

|

|New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, {{Flag|United States}}

|Provides drinking water for 17 million people, including half of New York City via the Delaware Aqueduct.{{cite web |title=Delaware River |url=https://www.americanrivers.org/river/delaware-river/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |website=www.americanrivers.org |publisher=American Rivers}}

|The longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States.{{cite web |title=DRB river-mileage spreadsheet |url=https://www.state.nj.us/drbc/library/documents/DRB_river-mileage-spreadsheet.pdf |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=River Mileage System |publisher=Delaware River Basin Commission}} Named the 5th most polluted river in the United States by eco-activism groups, primarily in the Philadelphia/Chester region.{{cite news |date=Mar 29, 2012 |title=Environmental group: Delaware River tops list of most polluted waterways |url=https://www.buckslocalnews.com/news/environmental-group-delaware-river-tops-list-of-most-polluted-waterways/article_b94c90d5-a5c1-5c8e-b39d-2319fa2a511a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128175024/https://www.buckslocalnews.com/news/environmental-group-delaware-river-tops-list-of-most-polluted-waterways/article_b94c90d5-a5c1-5c8e-b39d-2319fa2a511a.html |archive-date=January 28, 2020 |access-date=January 28, 2020 |work=Bucks Local News}}{{cite news |last1=Augenstein |first1=Seth |date=April 5, 2012 |title=Delaware River is 5th most polluted river in U.S., environmental group says |url=https://www.nj.com/news/2012/04/delaware_river_is_5th_most_pol.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128180116/https://www.nj.com/news/2012/04/delaware_river_is_5th_most_pol.html |archive-date=January 28, 2020 |access-date=March 30, 2019 |work=NJ.com News}}

|7–10 million pounds of toxic chemicals in the waterways mainly due to dumping by DuPont Chambers Works.

|Pollutants leading to increased risk of birth defects, infertility, and cancer.

|Western {{Flag|Mexico}}

|

|One of the longest rivers in Mexico.{{Cite journal |last1=González |first1=Paulina Martinez |last2=Hernández |first2=Eduardo |year=2009 |title=Impactos de la contaminación del Río Santiago en el bienestar de los habitantes de El Salto, Jalisco / Impacts from Contamination of the Santiago River on the Well-being of the Inhabitants of El Salto, Jalisco |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/3211528.pdf |journal=Espacio Abierto Cuaderno Venezolano de Sociología |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=708–729, page 711}} Also one of its most polluted.{{cite web |date=22 October 2017 |title=To Kill A River, How Mexico's Santiago Was Polluted Beyond Repair |url=https://worldcrunch.com/food-travel/to-kill-a-river-how-mexico39s-santiago-was-polluted-beyond-repair |accessdate=8 February 2021 |website=worldcrunch.com}}

|Over a thousand different chemicals in the main channel and its tributaries. These substances included semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds, such as phthalates (hormonal disruptors), phenols (compounds that affect neuronal development), toluene (a neurotoxin), and carcinogenic flame retardants.{{Cite news |last=Enciso L. |first=Angelica |date=25 March 2013 |title=Muerte lenta del río Santiago por contaminación |url=http://www.jornada.com.mx/2013/03/25/politica/002n1pol |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/pLGHi?url=http://www.jornada.com.mx/2013/03/25/politica/002n1pol |archive-date=12 August 2018 |newspaper=La Jornada |location=Mexico City |df=dmy}} Citing the report [https://web.archive.org/web/20151231152641/http://hazalgo.org/descargas/estudio_completo_imta.zip "Actualización del estudio de calidad del agua del río Santiago"]

|Caused the death of an eight-year-old boy who fell into the river and succumbed to heavy metal poisoning nineteen days later.Alcocer, Javier, Elva Escobar, and Alfonso Lugo. "Water Use (And Abuse) and Its Effects on the Crater‐lakes of Valle De Santiago, Mexico." Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 5.3 (2000): 145–149.Gómez-Balandra, María Antonieta, Edmundo Díaz-Pardo, and Altagracia Gutiérrez-Hernández. "Composición De La Comunidad íctica De La Cuenca Del Río Santiago, México, Durante Su Desarrollo Hidráulico Fish Community Composition of the Santiago River Basin, Mexico, During Its Hydraulic Development." Hidrobiológica, 22.1 (2012): 62–68.

|New York and New Jersey, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Once believed to be among the most polluted watercourses in the United States. Three sections are designated as Superfund sites.

|Once held the highest concentrations of methyl mercury of any fresh-water sediment in the world, as well as extensive residues of PCBs and other chemicals due to chemical companies.{{cite court|litigants=State Dept. of Envtl. Prot. v. Ventron Corp.|vol=94|reporter=NJ|opinion=473|court=Supreme Court of New Jersey|date=1983|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/supreme-court/1983/94-n-j-473-0.html}}{{cite web |date=May 2004 |title=Berry's Creek/Berry's Creek Canal |url=https://meri.njmeadowlands.gov/mesic/sites/waterbodies-and-other-wetlands/berrys-creek-berrys-creek-canal-2/ |website=Meadowlands Environmental Site Investigation Compilation |publisher=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District}} Despite closure of many industrial sites by the 2000s, still suffers from Urban runoff pollution, municipal sewage discharges from sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows, and runoff from hazardous waste sites continue to impair the river's water quality.Wright, Jim. [http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/Articles.php?ID=123 "Hackensack River is getting cleaner."]The Record. August 26, 2007. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182649/http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/Articles.php?ID=123|date=2016-03-03}}{{cite web |date=2007-07-17 |title=Watershed Management Area 5 Factsheet |url=http://www.nj.gov/dep/watershedmgt/DOCS/WMAFactsheets/WMA05.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327015134/http://www.nj.gov/dep/watershedmgt/DOCS/WMAFactsheets/WMA05.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-27 |publisher=NJDEP}}

|By the 1960s, much of the lower river was essentially a turbid hypoxic dead zone, with only the hardiest of species, such as the mummichog, able to survive in its waters. The Lower Hackensack was declared a federal Superfund site in 2022.{{Cite web |title=Restoring the Lower Hackensack River: Investigation and Cleanup under EPA's Superfund Program |url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/hackensack-river-cleanup/ |website=nj.gov |publisher=NJDEP}}{{Cite news |last1=Zeitlinger |first1=Ron |last2=Maher |first2=Jake |date=March 17, 2022 |title=Lower Hackensack River to be added to list of EPA Superfund sites |url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/03/lower-hackensack-river-to-be-added-to-list-of-epa-superfund-sites.html |access-date=September 8, 2022 |newspaper=The Jersey Journal}}{{Cite news |date=2022-09-07 |title=Hackensack River added to list of NJ Superfund sites, triggering a miles-long cleanup |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2022/09/07/hackensack-river-cleanup-nj-superfund-sites-new-jersey/65469074007/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |newspaper=The Record}}

|West-central {{Flag|Mexico}}

|Mexico's second longest river.

|

|Untreated wastewater from industries.{{cite news |last=Domínguez |first=Cuca |date=March 12, 2007 |title=Río Lerma, el más contaminado de la cuenca |url=http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=17770 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011035933/http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=17770 |archive-date=2007-10-11 |access-date=2008-08-04 |publisher=Correo: El diario del estado de Guanajuato |location=Guanajuato |language=es}}{{Cite tech report |url=https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resourcesquality/wpccasestudy8.pdf |title=How good are branching rules in DPLL |last=Helmer/ Hespanhol |first=R./I. |year=1997 |isbn=0-419-22910-8 |institution=WHO}}

|Michoacán and Guanajuato documenting an increase in cancer and neurocysticercosis in populations that live near the river.{{cite web |title=Mexico: Aserveran que el Rio Lerma trae muerte en el municipio de Pénjamo |url=http://terratoxnews.blogspot.com/2007/08/mxico-aseveran-que-el-ro-lerma-trae.html |access-date=2008-08-04}} Also has led to continuing loss of plant life in and around the river itself since 2005.

|New Hampshire and Massachusetts, {{Flag|United States}}{{cite web |year=2007 |title=The Voice of the Merrimack |url=http://www.merrimack.org/ |publisher=Merrimack River Watershed Council}}

|

|One of the most endangered rivers in the United States, as named by the American Rivers nonprofit in 2016.{{Cite web |author=Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests |date=February 16, 2019 |title=Merrimack: River at Risk |url=https://forestsociety.org/project/merrimack-river-risk |access-date=March 19, 2023 |website=Forest Society |language=en}}

|Combined sewer overflow from six untreated sanitary sewer systems,{{Cite web |last=US EPA |first=REG 01 |date=August 15, 2016 |title=Environmental Challenges for the Merrimack River |url=https://www.epa.gov/merrimackriver/environmental-challenges-merrimack-river |access-date=March 19, 2023 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}} leading to elevated bacteria counts, low dissolved oxygen, and high nutrient levels and elevated counts of E. coli and fecal coliform.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2006. Merrimack River Watershed Assessment. Available from: New England District, Manchester, NH.

|Restriction of swimming and boating. Aquatic life and shellfishing beds have been affected due to excess lead, zinc, and other metals in the river.

|{{Flag|United States}}

|~70 million people{{Cite journal |last=Kolpin |first=Dana W. |date=2000 |title=Importance of the Mississippi River Basin for investigating agricultural–chemical contamination of the hydrologic cycle |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70168344#:~:text=The%20Mississippi%20River%20Basin%20has,27%25%20of%20the%20nation's%20population. |journal=Science of the Total Environment |language=en |volume=248 |issue=2–3 |pages=71–72 |doi=10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00530-6|bibcode=2000ScTEn.248...71K |url-access=subscription }}

|The world's tenth-largest river by discharge flow, and the largest in North America.{{cite web |title=Lengths of the major rivers |url=http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/riversofworld.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305045437/http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/riversofworld.html |archive-date=March 5, 2009 |access-date=March 14, 2009 |publisher=United States Geological Survey |df=mdy-all}}

|Elevated nutrient and chemical levels from agricultural runoff consisting of fertilizers and insecticides.

|Primary contributor to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Dead Zone: Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico |url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/pdfs/new%20fact%20sheet%20dead%20zones_final.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225003942/http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/pdfs/new%20fact%20sheet%20dead%20zones_final.pdf |archive-date=December 25, 2012 |access-date=June 23, 2012 |publisher=NOAA}}

|{{Flag|Guatemala}} and {{Flag|Honduras}}

|

|One of the most plastic-emitting rivers in the world, contributing around two percent of global plastic pollution emissions into oceans annually.{{Cite web |last=Slat |first=Boyan |date=2022 |title=The Ocean Cleanup Trials New Interceptor in World's Most Polluting River |url=https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-trials-new-interceptor-in-worlds-most-polluting-river/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Ocean Cleanup}}

|Highly polluted with untreated sewage, industrial waste, tons of sediment (garbage) and blackwater from Guatemala City carried by the Río Las Vacas tributary.US Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District & Topographic Engineering Center. (2000). Water Resources Assessment of Guatemala. [https://web.archive.org/web/20131205151142/http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Portals/46/docs/military/engineering/docs/WRA/Guatemala/Guatemala%20WRA%20English.pdf]

|Dangerous to marine protected areas of Honduras and Guatemala and conservation efforts to maintain species diversity.{{Cite journal |last1=Mazariegos-Ortíz |first1=Carlos |last2=de los Ángeles Rosales |first2=María |last3=Carrillo-Ovalle |first3=Leonel |last4=Cardoso |first4=Renan Pereira |last5=Muniz |first5=Marcelo Costa |last6=dos Anjos |first6=Roberto Meigikos |date=2020 |title=First evidence of microplastic pollution in the El Quetzalito sand beach of the Guatemalan Caribbean |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0025326X20303386 |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |language=en |volume=156 |page=111220 |bibcode=2020MarPB.15611220M |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111220 |pmid=32365004 |s2cid=218504601|url-access=subscription }} Impacts several Indigenous and coastal communities.{{Cite web |last=Schulze |first=Alex |title=A river of plastic: How 4ocean plans to clean up the Motagua River |url=https://oceanographicmagazine.com/features/4ocean-guatemala/ |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=Oceanographic |language=en-GB}}

|The Mexico–U.S. border from Mexicali Municipality to Imperial County, California

|

|Composed of agricultural and chemical runoff waste. Called the most severely polluted river of its size in the United States.{{cite web |date=December 1, 1998 |title=New River Pollution in Mexico, A Historical Overview |url=http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb7/newriver/Historical/NewRiverHistory.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025163927/http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb7/newriver/Historical/NewRiverHistory.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2007 |access-date=February 16, 2007 |publisher=Regional Water Quality Control Board}}

|Runoff and waste from farm industry irrigation in the U.S. (18.4%) and Mexico (51.2%), sewage from Mexicali (29%). Consists of contains a stew of about a hundred contaminants: volatile organic compounds, heavy metals including selenium, uranium, arsenic and mercury, pesticides (including DDT), and PCBs.{{cite web |date=February 28, 1996 |title=Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, Atlanta, Georgia |url=http://www.calexiconewriver.com/ed_pdf/usdhhsnewriverpetitionedstudy1996.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928193908/http://www.calexiconewriver.com/ed_pdf/usdhhsnewriverpetitionedstudy1996.pdf |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |access-date=February 16, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |df=mdy-all}}

|Contains pathogens that cause tuberculosis, encephalitis, polio, cholera, hepatitis and typhoid. Runoff into the Salton Sea has led to several fish die-offs and massive avian epizootics 1992–2019.

|New York, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|One of the most polluted industrial sites in the United States, containing years of discarded toxins, an estimated {{convert|30000000|USgal}} of spilled oil.{{cite web |author=Staff |date=December 12, 2008 |title=Newtown Creek Clean-Up Efforts |url=http://www.thirteen.org/thecityconcealed/2008/12/12/newtown-creek-clean-up-efforts/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705213757/http://www.thirteen.org/thecityconcealed/2008/12/12/newtown-creek-clean-up-efforts/ |archive-date=July 5, 2009 |access-date=June 29, 2009 |work=The City Concealed |publisher=Thirteen (WNET.org)}}

|Channelization made it one of the most heavily used bodies of water in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Worsened by the Greenpoint oil spill, raw sewage from New York City's sewer system, and other accumulation from a total of 1,491 sites.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Peter Andrey |date=December 16, 2013 |title=Liquid Cow and Black Mayo |url=http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/newtown-creek-2013-12/ |newspaper=New York |page=20}}

|Totally devoid of any lifeforms by the end of the 19th century.{{Cite book |last1=Eldredge |first1=Niles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYMkDQAAQBAJ |title=Concrete Jungle: New York City and Our Last Best Hope for a Sustainable Future |last2=Horenstein |first2=Sidney |date=2014-10-23 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-27015-2 |language=en}}

|Boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States.

|Source of drinking water for five million people.{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts | The Ohio River |url=https://ohioriverfdn.org/ohio-river/quick-facts/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023225820/https://ohioriverfdn.org/ohio-river/quick-facts/ |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |access-date=October 23, 2022}}

|Third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north–south flowing Mississippi River, which divides the eastern from western United States.{{cite web |title=Largest Rivers in the United States |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428185541/http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242/ |archive-date=April 28, 2012 |access-date=December 13, 2019 |publisher=United States Geological Survey}} Listed among America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2023.{{cite news |last=Bruggers |first=James |title=Ohio River again tops list for industrial pollution |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/14/ohio-river-tops-list-industrial-pollution/24784863/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023223447/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/14/ohio-river-tops-list-industrial-pollution/24784863/ |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |access-date=March 12, 2019 |newspaper=Louisville Courier Journal}}

|Farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. 92% of toxic discharges were nitrates, with mercury also causing impacts. Also impacted by the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.

|

|Northern New Jersey, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|The lower {{convert|8|mi|spell=in}} of the river contains {{convert|4.3|e6cuyd}} of toxic mud at its bottom. It is considered one of the most polluted stretches of water in the nation.{{cite news |last=Fallon |first=Scott |date=April 11, 2014 |title=$1.7 billion plan to clean up the Passaic River unveiled |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/1-7-billion-plan-to-clean-up-the-passaic-river-unveiled-1.917941 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415035148/http://www.northjersey.com/news/1-7-billion-plan-to-clean-up-the-passaic-river-unveiled-1.917941 |archive-date=2014-04-15 |work=The Record}}

|Industrial waste beginning in the 19th century, including dioxin generated by the Diamond Shamrock Chemical Plant as a waste product resulting from the production of Agent Orange.{{cite news |last=Baxter |first=Christopher |date=2019-03-31 |title=2nd N.J. chemical company held liable for lower Passaic River pollution cleanup |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/2nd_nj_chemical_company_held_l.html |work=New Jersey On-Line |publisher=Advance Local Media LLC |location=Iselin, NJ}}

|

|Metro Detroit, Michigan, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Oil on the surface caught fire in 1969.{{cite web |author=Hugh McDiarmid, Jr. |date=July 2011 |title=When our rivers caught fire |url=http://www.environmentalcouncil.org/priorities/article.php?x=264 |access-date=Nov 7, 2011 |work=Michigan Environmental Report |publisher=Michigan Environmental Council |quote=In 1969 ... the oil-matted Rouge River in Detroit caught fire, shooting flames 50 feet in the air ...}}

|Suffered from municipal and industrial discharges, sewer overflows, and several nonpoint source pollution (e.g., storm water runoff), leading to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals (e.g., mercury), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oil and grease.{{cite web |last=Environmental Protection Agency |first=US |date=2015-04-03 |title=About Rouge River AOC |url=https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-aocs/about-rouge-river-aoc |access-date=2019-10-11 |website=US EPA |language=en}}Aquatic Nuisance Control & Remedial Action Unit, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (2008). [https://www.michigan.gov/documents/egle/wrd-aoc-rap-rouge_665199_7.pdf "The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Biennial Remedial Action Plan for the Rouge River Area of Concern"] Department of Environmental Equality.

|Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, and on recreational use. Also caused degradation on fish and wildlife populations, and fish tumors and other deformities.

|California, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|Mostly-urban waterway and the central of three major rivers draining the Greater Los Angeles Area.{{cite web |title=USGS National Atlas Streamer |url=http://nationalatlas.gov/streamer/Streamer/streamer.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528115344/http://nationalatlas.gov/streamer/Streamer/streamer.html |archive-date=2014-05-28 |access-date=2017-08-22 |publisher=United States Geological Survey}}

|Large amounts of industrial and urban runoff from 598 businesses, manufacturers, and other parties, the largest being the Los Coyotes plant with an output of 30 million gallons (110,000 m³) per day.{{cite web |date=Feb 2005 |title=Section 4.6 – Hydrology and Water Quality |url=http://ladpw.org/wmd/watershed/sg/mp/docs/eir/04.06-Hydrology.pdf |access-date=2017-08-24 |work=San Gabriel River Corridor Master Plan: Draft Program EIR |publisher=Los Angeles County Department of Public Works}} Upper reaches impacted by trash, debris, fecal coliforms, and heavy metals from recreational use.{{cite web |title=San Gabriel River Watershed |url=http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb4/water_issues/programs/regional_program/Water_Quality_and_Watersheds/san_gabriel_river_watershed/SG_River.pdf |access-date=2017-08-24 |work=State Water Resources Control Board |publisher=California Department of Water Resources}}{{cite web |author=Schiff, Kenneth |display-authors=etal |year=2007 |title=Wet and dry weather toxicity in the San Gabriel River |url=http://ftp.sccwrp.org/pub/download/DOCUMENTS/AnnualReports/2007AnnualReport/AR07_129_138.pdf |access-date=2017-08-25 |publisher=Southern California Coastal Water Research Project}}

|Coyote Creek suffering from "acute and chronic toxicity" from pesticides and industrial chemicals, industrial contaminant pollution of a considerable portion of the groundwater in the San Gabriel River watershed, and detrimental impacts to the habitat.{{cite web |date=2004-02-27 |title=San Gabriel Valley Groundwater Basin |url=http://www.water.ca.gov/pubs/groundwater/bulletin_118/basindescriptions/4-13.pdf |access-date=2017-08-24 |publisher=California Department of Water Resources}}

|Central California, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|One of the most polluted rivers in the United States, especially in its lower course.{{cite web |date=2006-07-07 |title=Reviving the San Joaquin |url=https://abc30.com/archive/8004760/ |access-date=2011-04-09 |work=Clean Water Program Reports |publisher=Environment California}}

|"Ubiquitous" pesticide and fertilizer runoff and municipal runoff leading to elevated levels of selenium, fluoride, nitrates.

|In 1983, it was found that birds had suffered severe deformities and deaths due to steadily increasing levels of chemicals and toxins. In the next few years, all the fish species died except for the mosquito fish, and algae blooms proliferated in the foul water.{{cite news |last=Bard |first=Carla |date=1995-10-30 |title=Perspective on Pollution: Nasty Plans for Our Drinking Water: San Joaquin Valley agribusiness wants to reopen a sluice of toxic waste leading to the California Aqueduct |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-30-me-62752-story.html |access-date=2011-04-09 |work=Los Angeles Times}}

|California, {{Flag|United States}}

|

|The stream is among the most polluted and acidic in the world.{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Lavender |title=Iron Mountain Mine |url=http://ice.ucdavis.edu/education/esp179/?q=node/164 |access-date=2009-04-15 |publisher=Online Data Resources of California}}{{cite web |title=Abandoned Mine Lands Case Study |url=http://www.epa.gov/aml/tech/imm.pdf |access-date=2009-04-15 |publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}}

|Contains the Spring Creek Debris Dam, which serves primarily to collect severe acid mine drainage stemming from the Iron Mountain Mine.{{cite web |title=CVP- Shasta/Trinity River Divisions |url=http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/shasta.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502172417/http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/shasta.html |archive-date=May 2, 2008 |access-date=2009-04-15 |publisher=U.S. Bureau of Reclamation}}

|

|{{Flag|Costa Rica}}

|About 50% of Costa Rica's population.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2011-09-06 |title=The Tarcoles River of Costa Rica |url=https://www.costaricajourneys.com/the-tarcoles-river/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Costa Rica |language=en-US}}

|Considered the most contaminated river basin in the country.{{cite web |author=Ballestero, Maureen |year=2003 |title=Tárcoles River Basin, Costa Rica: Background Paper |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSAREGTOPWATRES/Resources/CostaRica_Tarcoles_Background_FINAL.pdf |publisher=worldbank.org}}{{cite news |author=Sebastian Rodriguez |date=1 March 2017 |title=Tárcoles: The most contaminated river in Central America |url=https://aida-americas.org/en/blog/t%C3%A1rcoles-most-contaminated-river-central-america |access-date=2019-02-05 |newspaper=Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (Aida)}}

|The river's watershed drains approximately 67% of Costa Rica's untreated organic and industrial waste .

|

|Baja California, {{Flag|Mexico}} California, {{Flag|United States}}

|Called "one of the most polluted waterways in the country".{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Christopher |date=26 February 2017 |title=Large sewage spill in Tijuana, Mexico, flows north of border |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/large-sewage-spill-tijuana-mexico-flows-north-border-45735421 |access-date=4 March 2017 |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press}}

|From 2018 to 2024, more than {{convert|100,000,000,000|USgal|kL}} of wastewater have flowed from Mexico into the United States via the Tijuana River according to the International Boundary and Water Commission,{{cite news |last=Udasin |first=Sharon |date=13 February 2024 |title=San Diego County faces multifront health threat amid transboundary sewage flow from Mexico |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4463937-san-diego-county-health-threat-sewage-mexico-transboundary/ |access-date=14 February 2024 |work=The Hill |location=Washington, D.C.}} including toxins, metals, solvents, pathogens, and sewage.{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Marty |date=6 June 2017 |title=Border Patrol on Tijuana River gains respect from enviros |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/jun/06/stringers-border-patrol-tijuana-river-enviros/ |access-date=8 June 2019 |work=San Diego Reader}}

|Raw sewage from the city of Tijuana, Mexico.

|Regular overflowing raw-sewage on the Mexican side, causing damage to vegetation and contributing to flooding. Citizens from both San Diego and Tijuana have fallen sick due to the sewage flowing into local beaches, with 34,000 people on Imperial Beach in 2017 alone.{{Cite web |last1=Wagner |first1=Dennis |last2=Harris |first2=Craig |last3=Soto |first3=Juilieta |last4=Yang |first4=Madeline |date=9 March 2023 |title=Promises, Promises: Tijuana sewage crisis sickens tens of thousands |url=http://thecoronadonews.com/2023/03/promises-promises-tijuana-sewage-crisis-sickens-tens-of-thousands/ |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=The Coronado News |language=en-US}}

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|New South Wales, {{Flag|Australia}}

|

|Third-longest river in Australia, and the outback's most famous waterway.{{cite news |author=Sally Macmillan |date=24 January 2009 |title=Darling River townships offer historic route |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/australia/an-historic-route-darling/story-e6freqxf-1111118648230 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612033509/http://www.couriermail.com.au/travel/australia/an-historic-route-darling/story-e6freqxf-1111118648230 |archive-date=12 June 2012 |access-date=30 October 2010 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |publisher=Queensland Newspapers}}

|Pesticide runoff{{cite web |date=30 March 2021 |title=Two thirds of farmland at risk of pesticide pollution |url=https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/03/30/two-thirds-of-farmland-at-risk-of-pesticide-pollution.html |access-date=8 September 2021 |website=University of Sydney}}{{cite news |last1=Nearmy |first1=Tracey |date=24 October 2019 |title=Thirst turns to anger as Australia's mighty river runs dry |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-drought-widerimage/thirst-turns-to-anger-as-australias-mighty-river-runs-dry-idUSKBN1X22TT |access-date=15 April 2020 |work=Reuters}}

|Suffered from a severe cyanobacterial bloom that stretched the length of the river in 1992.{{Cite news |date=28 January 2011 |title=Algal Blooms |url=http://www.clw.csiro.au/issues/water/rivers_estuaries/algal.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402183918/http://www.clw.csiro.au/issues/water/rivers_estuaries/algal.html |archive-date=2 April 2011 |access-date=15 March 2011 |publisher=CSIRO Land and Water |df=dmy}} Also suffered from fish kills in 2019 and 2023.{{cite web |date=2019-01-18 |title=New South Wales government largely culpable for fish kill, report finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/19/murray-darling-basin-authority-and-nsw-largely-culpable-for-fish-kill-report-finds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328085125/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/19/murray-darling-basin-authority-and-nsw-largely-culpable-for-fish-kill-report-finds |archive-date=2023-03-28 |website=The Guardian}}{{cite news |last1=Ormonde |first1=Bill |last2=Stonehouse |first2=Greta |date=18 March 2023 |title=Millions of fish dead in the worst mass kill ever to hit Menindee region, in NSW's far west |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-18/nsw-menindee-mass-fish-kill-worst-in-region/102115184 |access-date=23 December 2023 |work=ABC News}}

|Tasmania, {{Flag|Australia}}

|

|Was historically considered to be Australia's most polluted river.{{Cite news |date=24 September 2016 |title=Tasmania's poisoned rivers become PHD students' classroom |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-24/fix-the-rivers-challenge-for-tas-phd-students/7874112 |newspaper=ABC News}} Is still heavily polluted due to acid water and heavy metal pollution.{{Citation |author1=Mount Lyell Remediation Research and Demonstration Program |title=Mount Lyell remediation : characterisation and impact assessment of mine tailings in the King River system and delta, Western Tasmania |publication-date=1996 |year=1996 |publisher=Supervising Scientist |isbn=978-0-642-24304-1 |author2=Taylor, Jeff R |author3=Tasmania. Department of Environment and Land Management}}

|Copper mining dewatering and run-off from the waste rock dumps.

|High toxicity to aquatic life.

!Name

!Location

!Dependent population

!Description

!Sources of pollution

!Impact

|Rio de Janeiro, {{Flag|Brazil}}

|

|One of the most polluted rivers in the state of Rio de Janeiro.{{Cite web |last=Rio |first=Do G1 |date=2015-03-21 |title=Pesquisa aponta para aumento da poluição nos rios do Rio |url=https://g1.globo.com/rio-de-janeiro/noticia/2015/03/pesquisa-aponta-para-aumento-da-poluicao-nos-rios-do-rio.html |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Rio de Janeiro |language=pt-br}}{{Cite journal |last1=Schlee |first1=Mônica Bahia |last2=Tamminga |first2=Kenneth R. |last3=Tangari |first3=Vera Regina |date=2012-08-31 |title=A Method for Gauging Landscape Change as a Prelude to Urban Watershed Regeneration: The Case of the Carioca River, Rio de Janeiro |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=4 |issue=9 |pages=2054–2098 |doi=10.3390/su4092054 |doi-access=free |issn=2071-1050}}

|Untreated sewage

|Carries pollutants that cause diarrhea, hepatitis, and leptospirosis.

|Buenos Aires Province, {{Flag|Argentina}}

|3.5 million people

|The most polluted river in Latin America and it is considered one of the ten most polluted places globally, with very high levels of lead.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-27 |title=El río Matanza, un lugar inhabitable para cinco millones de argentinos |url=https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/sociedad/2019/12/26/rio-matanza-lugar-inabitable-cinco-millones-argentinos/00031577370845628922369.htm |access-date=2022-02-17 |website=La Voz de Galicia |language=es}}

|Large amounts of industrial waste from the numerous factories along the river, especially tanneries.{{Cite magazine |date=2016-10-25 |title=Life Along a Poisoned River |url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/life-along-a-poisoned-river |access-date=2022-02-17 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US}}

|25% of children living in urban slums along the water's edge have lead in their bloodstreams, and even more suffer from gastrointestinal and respiratory illness.

|{{Flag|Brazil}}

|

|Deemed the most polluted river in Brazil, according to National Geographic in 2010.{{cite web |last=Sabrina Valle |date=23 September 2010 |title=Pictures: Toxic Foam Chokes Brazil River |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/photogalleries/100921-toxic-foam-river-brazil-science-environment-pictures/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924140952/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/photogalleries/100921-toxic-foam-river-brazil-science-environment-pictures/ |archive-date=24 September 2010 |access-date=16 September 2015 |publisher=National Geographic Society}}

|Pollution from São Paulo

|Multiple species threatened, or possibly extinct in the case of the catfish Heptapterus multiradiatus.ICMBio (Ministry of the Environment, Brazil): [http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/images/stories/biodiversidade/fauna-brasileira/avaliacao-do-risco/PORTARIA_N%C2%BA_445_DE_17_DE_DEZEMBRO_DE_2014.pdf Portaria MMA nº 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014]. Lista de Especies Ameaçadas – Saiba Mais. Retrieved 1 December 2018.

!Name

!Location

!Description

|Kantō, {{Flag|Japan}}

|The most polluted river in Japan from the 1960s to the 1990s, leading to cleanup efforts.Oishi, Masao; Ikushima, Yoshimi (2008). "[http://www.wepa-db.net/pdf/0810forum/paper11.pdf The Most Polluted River in Japan: Ayasegawa River ~Campaign Breaking the Worst One~]" (PDF)

|Staffordshire, {{Flag|England}}

|Became possibly the most polluted river in Europe in the 19th century. Improved after the decline of industry in Leek and the Churnet Valley.{{cite web |date=23 September 2006 |title=Salmon back in river 100 years on |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/5373910.stm |access-date=25 October 2017 |publisher=BBC News}}

|Massachusetts, {{Flag|United States}}

|Suffered from significant industrial pollution called "foul and noisome, polluted by offal and industrious wastes, scummy with oil, unlikely to be mistaken for water."{{Cite web |title=Things to Know About Moving to Boston, MA | Cross Country Move Guide |url=https://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511080608/http://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/projects/swimming/index.html |archive-date=May 11, 2010 |access-date=September 27, 2020 |website=Charles River Conservancy}} Fish kills and submerged vehicles were a common sight, along with toxic chemical plumes that colored parts of the river pink and orange.{{cite news |last1=Daley |first1=Beth |date=April 24, 2005 |title=Group Eyes Lawsuit Over Charles River Pollution |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/24/group_eyes_lawsuit_over_charles_river_pollution/?page=2 |access-date=16 October 2014 |work=Boston.com}} The Standells sang about the Charles in their 1965 song "Dirty Water". A combination of public and private initiatives helped drastically lower levels of pollutants, leading to the first "public swims" since the 1950s occurring in 2013.{{cite news |title=Charles River opens for first public swim since the 1950s |url=http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/07/13/charles-river-opens-for-public-swim-for-first-time-since/4tgCdQ1cONXeN6SPvhe6rI/story.html |work=The Boston Globe}}

|Oregon, {{Flag|United States}}

|Became one of Oregon's most polluted waterways due to being used as a waste repository during the first half of the 20th century.{{cite journal |last=Stroud |first=Ellen |year=1999 |title=Troubled Waters in Ecotopia: Environmental Racism in Portland, Oregon |url=http://web.mit.edu/people/spirn/Public/Granite%20Garden%20Research/Urban%20Environmental%20History/Stroud%201999%20Environmental%20Racism%20Portland.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Radical History Review |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=MARHO |volume=1999 |issue=74 |pages=65–95 |doi=10.1215/01636545-1999-74-65 |issn=0163-6545 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429174510/http://web.mit.edu/people/spirn/Public/Granite%20Garden%20Research/Urban%20Environmental%20History/Stroud%201999%20Environmental%20Racism%20Portland.pdf |archive-date=April 29, 2015 |access-date=February 15, 2010}}

|Ohio, {{Flag|United States}}

|Infamous for catching on fire at least 14 times due to heavy industrial pollution, helping to spur the American environmental movement and triggering extensive cleanup efforts.{{cite web |date=May 28, 2019 |title=The Myth of the Cuyahoga River Fire, Podcast and transcript, Episode 241 |url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/the-myth-of-the-cuyahoga-river-fire |access-date=27 August 2019 |website=Science History Institute}}{{cite web |date=August 28, 2020 |title=51 Years Later, the Cuyahoga River Burns Again |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2416503/cuyahoga-river-fire-2020-1969 |access-date=11 October 2020 |website=Outside Magazine}}

|Metro Detroit, Michigan, {{Flag|United States}}

|Was used for industrial purposes for more than 100 years, leading to thousands of migrating birds dying each year from oil slick and chemicals. The river's oxygen levels were depleted to the point where fish could not inhabit its waters. Because this pollution often drained into and affected Lake Erie, the lake was considered "dead" and unable to support aquatic life.{{Cite web |last=Hartig |first=John |date=July 17, 2007 |title=The Detroit River's amazing comeback |url=https://www.espn.com/outdoors/hunting/columns/story?columnist=swan_james&page=g_col_swan_det_river |access-date=June 16, 2009 |publisher=ESPN}}{{Cite web |last=Swan |first=James |date=March 19, 2009 |title=Return of the Detroit River's Charismatic Megafauna |url=http://www.glu.org/news/2009/03/return-of-the-detroit-river%E2%80%99s-charismatic-megafauna/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922140030/http://www.glu.org/news/2009/03/return-of-the-detroit-river%E2%80%99s-charismatic-megafauna/ |archive-date=September 22, 2009 |access-date=June 16, 2009}} Was designated an ecological refuge in 2001, with cleanup efforts leading to the return of many species of native animals.

|Ontario, {{Flag|Canada}}

|By the 1960s the river had become a neglected, polluted mess due to industrial pollution. In 1969, Pollution Probe held a much celebrated "Funeral for the Don" to highlight the plight of the river.{{cite web |author=Task Force to Bring Back the Don |year=1998 |title=Story of the Don |url=http://www.toronto.ca/don/watershed.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607062913/http://www.toronto.ca/don/watershed.htm |archive-date=2011-06-07 |publisher=City of Toronto}} The river would have a few species of fish be restored following the closure of industrial sites and cleanup efforts.

|New York City, New York, {{Flag|United States}}

|Historically the receptacle for the city's garbage and sewage since New Amsterdam, leading to the destruction of the river's ecosystem. Was regarded as dangerous for anyone to fall into it as late as 2007.{{cite news |author=Staff |date=August 30, 2007 |title=Welcome, Students. Now Watch It. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/nyregion/30students.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605114602/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/nyregion/30students.html |archive-date=June 5, 2015 |access-date=August 30, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times}} Environmental controls and cleanups have allowed the ecosystem to gradually rebuild.

|{{Flag|Spain}}

|One of the most polluted rivers in the world due to a century of intense industrial activity causing the lower stretches of the river to become ecologically dead with oxygen levels 20 percent below the norm. Cleanup efforts starting in 1990 as well as the deindustrialization of the area brought about the reintroduction of natural life to the habitat.{{Cite web |title=onomastikaz |url=https://www.santurtzieus.com/irakasle/materialak/artikuluak/onomastika.htm |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=www.santurtzieus.com}}{{Cite web |date=2020-12-14 |title=Las cascadas naturales más impresionantes de España - Vipealo |url=https://www.vipealo.com/blog/las-cascadas-naturales-mas-impresionantes-de-espana/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |language=es}}

|Minnesota and Wisconsin, {{Flag|United States}}

|One of the most heavily polluted waterways in Minnesota during the mid 20th century due to historical industrial use of the river, before the onset of modern environmental laws, resulting in the degradation of habitat and sediments contaminated with: mercury, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other toxins.{{Cite web |last=Environmental Protection Agency |date=March 25, 2015 |title=St. Louis River AOC |url=https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-aocs/st-louis-river-aoc |access-date=October 11, 2019 |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |language=en}} Still suffers from high levels of mercury in fish tissue despite cleanup efforts.{{cite web |title=Protocol for a Uniform Great Lakes Sport Fish Consumption Advisory |url=https://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/fisheries/fcs/pcb_fishtech.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041124/https://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/fisheries/fcs/pcb_fishtech.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |publisher=Great Lakes Sport Fish Advisory Task Force}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/genpoprivers.pdf|title=Fish Consumption Guidelines for the General Population, Rivers}}

|{{Flag|Spain}}

|One of the most polluted rivers in Europe in the 1990s,{{cite news |last1=Méndez |first1=Rafael |date=16 February 2014 |title=Enclaves naturales que han vuelto a la vida |url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/14/eps/1392384158_590015.html |accessdate=18 October 2018 |newspaper=El País |publisher=El País Semanal}} due to the canning industry and urban and agricultural residues from urban areas. Demonstrations and the construction of hundreds of wastewater treatment and collection systems led to the river becoming the Spanish river with the lowest average pollution in the span of just one decade.{{Cite web|url=https://e00-elmundo.uecdn.es/comunidad-valenciana/2015/11/04/5639e138e2704ed16f8b4658.html|title=El río Segura, de aquellos lodos estos galardones|date=November 4, 2015|website=ELMUNDO}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.riverfoundation.org.au/riverprize_european.php|title=International RiverFoundation - European Riverprize|website=riverfoundation.org.au}}

|Tyne and Wear, {{Flag|England}}

|Historically regarded as one of the most polluted rivers in the area due to the discharges from Sewage works near Lamesley and heavy industry in the Team Valley. It is called "The Gut" by the residents of Dunston. However considerable improvements have now been made and the river is relatively clean.{{cite web |date=17 February 2016 |title=Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status) |url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/help/glossary |website=Catchment Data Explorer |publisher=Environment Agency}} 30x30px Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.

|{{Flag|England}}

|The rapid population increase of the towns that developed following the Industrial Revolution led to an "offensive stench" and thick industrial pollution that peaked in the 1950s.{{cite book |last1=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbjkzblQAOQC&pg=PA42 |title=Quality Improvements in the Trent Catchment |last2=Brewin |work=Wastewater Treatment: Evaluation and Implementation and Implementation : Proceedings of Water Environment '94 |publisher=Thomas Telford |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7277-1991-1 |editor-last=Rofe |pages=40–50 |access-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723043212/https://books.google.com/books?id=BbjkzblQAOQC&pg=PA42#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=23 July 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=The Duke of Sutherland and River Trent Pollution |url=http://www.search.sutherlandcollection.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/child.asp?txtKeywords=&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&x1=&y1=&x2=&y2=&scale=&theme=&album=&resource=1083&viewpage=%2Fengine%2Fresource%2Fexhibition%2Fstandard%2Fdefault.asp&originator=&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=&text=&exhibition=732&offset=0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309213947/http://www.search.sutherlandcollection.org.uk/engine/resource/exhibition/standard/child.asp?txtKeywords=&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&x1=&y1=&x2=&y2=&scale=&theme=&album=&resource=1083&viewpage=%2Fengine%2Fresource%2Fexhibition%2Fstandard%2Fdefault.asp&originator=&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=&text=&exhibition=732&offset=0 |archive-date=9 March 2014 |access-date=10 July 2013 |website=Sutherland Collection |publisher=sutherlandcollection.org.uk |df=dmy-all}}{{cite book |last1=Langford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBAewUQIqb8C&pg=PA271 |title=River Conservation and Management |last2=Worthington |last3=Shaw |last4=Kemp |last5=Woolgar |last6=Ferguson |last7=Harding |work=The Unnatural History of the River Trent: 50 Years of Ecological Recovery |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-119-96181-9 |editor-last=Boon |page=271 |access-date=7 February 2016 |editor-last2=Raven |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723043204/https://books.google.com/books?id=aBAewUQIqb8C&pg=PA271#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=23 July 2024 |url-status=live}}

|Louisiana, {{Flag|United States}}

|Gained a reputation as the most polluted river in the United States in the 1970s.{{Cite news |last=Segura |first=Erin |date=April 4, 2016 |title=How Bayou Vermilion went from the most polluted river to a prized resource |url=http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/2016/04/04/how-bayou-vermilion-went-most-polluted-river-prized-resource/82448638/ |access-date=February 3, 2018 |work=Daily Advertiser}}{{Cite web |last=Kidder |first=Kimberly |display-authors=etal |date=April 15, 2014 |title=Vermilion River Pollution |url=http://medianola.org/discover/place/1222 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613053538/http://medianola.org/discover/place/1222 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 13, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2018 |website=MEDIA NOLA, A Project of Tulane University}} Improved sewage treatment, low flow streamflow augmentation, and regular in-stream trash collection have changed its public perception to that of a celebrated recreational resource.

|Greater London, {{Flag|England}}

|Heavily industrialized in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the Industrial Revolution, and was declared one of the most polluted rivers in England. Subsequent cleanup efforts have led to a return of the river's brown trout, as well as chub, roach and dace.{{Cite web |date=2008-01-21 |title=Save the River Wandle |url=https://www.thefield.co.uk/fishing/save-the-river-wandle-22840 |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=The Field |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Wandle recovers,declared best waterway in UK |url=http://archive.asianage.com/ideas/wandle-recoversdeclared-best-waterway-uk-526 |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=The Asian Age |language=en}}

|Moscow and Mytishchi, {{Flag|Russia}}

|Referred to as "the biggest gutter for waste in Moscow" due to industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ecology slightly improved in the 2000s, with the closing or conversion of old factories and cleanup efforts by the city government.{{Cite book |last=Colton |first=Timothy J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXM2H6tWHskC |title=Moscow: Governing the Socialist Metropolis |date=1995 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-58749-6 |language=en}}"[http://www.moseco.ru/moscow-ecology/reports/ State of environment in Moscow in 2008 (Доклад о состоянии окружающей среды в Москве в 2008 году)]" (in Russian). Government of Moscow. 2009.