At the turn of the 19th and20th centuries, the growth of urban population and development of urban infrastructure were accompanied by the emergence of environmental problems, including the increase of river pollution, which might cause water supply diffi culties. The central and local authorities, as well as representatives of various public, scientific, professional organizations and business circles, were involved in solving these problems. The order of their interaction could be diff erent, but these joint projects made it possible to achieve the best results in combating river pollution caused by industrial and domestic waste, to determine priorities in the system of water protection and to improve the supply of potable water to the population. Thanks to the activities of such organizations as the Society for Assistance to the Improvement and Development of Manufacturing Industry, Russian Water Supply Congresses, sanitary stations, and the Provisional Committee for the Development of Measures to Protect the Water Bodies of the Moscow Industrial District from Pollution, a rather extensive set of measures was carried out to study the properties, nature, and degree of water pollution in the rivers that served as sources of water supply for city dwellers, and the most eff ective methods of water purifi cation were determined in experiments. Practical recommendations were developed on the use of the most eff ective and cost-efficient methods and facilities for industrial wastewater treatment. The best domestic specialists were involved in solving the identified problems, who utilized international and Russian experience. The lack of sufficient funding for water protection activities resulted in some initiatives not being or being only partially implemented. In addition, a number of practical measures which had been planned in this area had to be postponed because of the outbreak of World War I in 1914