ABSTRACT
In time, waterpower was applied to larger textile machines, larger factories became a feature of the landscape and the modern industrial landscape began to take shape. However, it was only in the 19th century, with the coming of the steam age, that environmental injury to the landscape began, with industrial towns, atmospheric pollution, the pollution of streams and rivers and physical damage as a byproduct of industrial activity. Waste products from industrial processes were usually tipped on or adjacent to factory sites and contaminants allowed to leach into the ground. Liquid waste was often discharged directly into rivers or onto the ground surface, from where it found its way into watercourses and streams. Pollution and contamination were accepted as part of the price of progress and the benefits of income outweighed health risks.
