polluted water?

I have been a constant watersportsman for about 30 +years locally and internationally,and can honestly say that local water (devon and cornwall) have never been cleaner after massive investment by local water companies. I can honestly say i have never knowingly been made unwell by polluted water ,and at times, years ago it was bad by todays standards,however after listening to a spokesman from surfers against sewage ,i get the impression it is life threatening just to paddle in the sea!!! Obviously i support cleaner waters,but realistically just how clean can they ever be? and i was wondering if any of you out there can definately attribute ill health to pollution and your opinions on cleanliness of local waters?

I know sas have been ardent campaigners on water quality,however it is EU legislation that has enforced standards , aside from human pollution many other naturally occuring things pollute ,such as run off after heavy rain washing animal manure into rivers etc,but also in the sea itself all living creatures poo quite regularly,die and decay,washed up seaweed does not smell too sweet either ,and i would not like to try eating it yet it dissolves into the water to create a weak yet none too pleasant soup,also some algal blooms are known to be toxic,and i do not know about the complete contents of all plankton and other micro organisms . after considering all these things no matter how many billions we spend the sea could still be a health hazard ,and do not forget the greatest cause of death is the water itself (drowning)!! and a belly full of salt water is never considered healthy!!