ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the work of the Clyde River Purification Board, set up in 1956, which culminated in the return of the salmon in 1983. It also describes the obstacles which had to be overcome in restoring the river to its present reasonably healthy condition and considers whether present day controls are adequate for future environmental needs. The new agency will have a tremendous opportunity to build on the successes of the river boards and usher in a new era in which the technical expertise of a national body will be available for all aspects of environmental management at a local as well as a regional or national level. Under the Local Government Act the creation of nine Regional Councils greatly improved the quality of sewerage management and sewage treatment in Scotland. A steady improvement in water quality in the upper estuary also led to an increasing number of species of both bottom living fauna and of fish.
