In the 21st century, environmental groups including the Bronx River Alliance proposed to return the river to its original state as a clean waterway.

It is an exceptionally clean waterway with a highly diverse ecosystem.

In announcing the decision today, Christie Whitman, the environmental agency's chief, said the action reflected a commitment by the Bush administration "to keeping our waterways clean and safe."

Not just any old ships, but those that protect, clean and patrol New York waterways.

Actively supporting a new, healthy vision for his District, the Congressman has worked for decades on environmental justice issues such as quality parks, breathable air and clean waterways.

Finally, there appears a new appreciation of clean waterways.

In 2001, the Fish and Game Council started the public campaign for cleaner waterways downstream of dairy farms that later became known as the dirty dairying campaign.

Now urban adventurers are taking advantage of increasingly clean local waterways to extend the hunt with commando kayak dining.

In an unheralded and sometimes annoying consequence of cleaner waterways, mayflies are mating and dying in greater numbers than they have in half a century.

Today, speedboats, dragon boats, pedal-boats and sampans can be seen plying on the clean waterways of the Singapore River.