In this article I will investigate the state of the rivers of Victorian London and how their neglect, via both a lack of understanding of the spread of contagion, and a lack of infrastructural investment, led to the proliferation of disease throughout the city. My aim is to show that the improvements in the treatment of London’s water resources were an example of the exercising of government biopower. For many years government policies in relation to London sanitation were reactive, if they were present at all. Whether it be disagreements between sanitarians and doctors, or avaricious capitalists, London’s water was routinely neglected. The Great Stink of 1858 provided the tipping point, after which the government finally took action. Using Foucault’s idea of biopower I plan to show that the change in government policy in relation to London’s waterways was an attempt to improve public health for the benefit of the rapidly expanding British economy, which was in the middle of the industrial revolution at the time. The construction of new infrastructure also had the ulterior effect of creating a socially segregated space by the Thames. This new public area was cleansed of not only physical dirt, but also of members of society who were deemed undesirable within that particular spatial context. The issue of London sanitation and the spread of illness in the city is no doubt a complicated one which involves more issues than simply water supply. However, this paper will focus only on the city’s water supply in order to remain clear and concise.