The Cuyahoga River, once the lifeblood of the land, served as a reflection of people’s perception of their own well-being. Spanning 100 miles, this renowned river was instrumental in the rise of tycoons and legends. However, it fell victim to human intervention, leading to its contamination and subsequent environmental devastation. The water became burdened with oil, debris, and pollution, prompting a realization of the imminent danger. Determined to rescue the river and the world at large, individuals embarked on a mission to restore its former glory. Understanding that the river’s water sustains life, they recognized that transforming the community necessitated reviving the Cuyahoga River.
Cleveland, a struggling settlement situated at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, encountered numerous challenges. The slow flow of the river hindered its progress, leading to the city being surrounded by swamps and plagued by disease-carrying mosquitoes. Nevertheless, the residents aimed to overcome these obstacles through altering their natural surroundings. They relocated the river mouth half a mile away to accommodate ships and barges while constructing canals that linked Lake Erie with the Ohio River. These endeavors transformed Cleveland into a prosperous trading hub and a center for accumulating wealth, earning it the moniker as Silicon Valley of the industrial era.
Numerous companies were established in Cleveland to manufacture various goods. By 1920, these goods had a total value of $20 million, fueling industrial advancements not just in cities like Buffalo and Chicago but across the nation as well. As time passed, people reshaped the Cuyahoga River by creating bridges and dams to control its flow. With Cleveland flourishing came new challenges associated with its industrial success – pollution became one such issue. Chemicals were often left unsecured on docks and in bags, eventually finding their way into the river. By 1950, industries along the river were producing an array of products that required appropriate waste disposal methods.
Many companies were inspired by John D. Rockefeller’s innovation in the oil industry, and they also began to use waterways for transportation and waste disposal. However, the steel mills used outdated technology from pre-World War II era, leading to excessive pollution that turned both the river and the sky orange.
The river water, saturated with petroleum and pollution, churned like a boiling cauldron, resembling a stew on a stove. The city itself paralleled the state of the river, forsaken and lifeless. The exodus of white, middle-class residents from the cities intensified poverty and animosity. In 1966 and 1968, race riots erupted and Cleveland underwent destructive upheaval. As all resources vanished from the city, the African American population retaliated by setting it ablaze, employing fire as a symbol of power and the desire for some semblance of control. In 1969, the state of the Cuyahoga River perfectly mirrored the ruined state of American cities. Multiple industrial fires broke out as a result of industrial waste and debris accumulation. On June 22, 1969, a fire ignited when oil and paper products became trapped and formed a dam, causing molten steel from a bridge to fall onto the debris below. This event led to a massive inferno engulfing the Cuyahoga River. Despite regular occurrences of fires on the Cuyahoga due to pollution, this particular blaze was considered minor but served as a wake-up call for many.
Carl Stokes, the first elected African American Mayor, assumed office in a city afflicted with environmental issues like polluted water and air. Nevertheless, the occurrence of the 1969 Cuyahoga fire brought to light a significant problem and alerted Americans to the consequences of industrial progress. Concerns about its environmental impact started emerging among the public. This timely chain of events marked the inception of the “environmental movement”, in which Mayor Stokes played a pivotal role.
Witnessing their own Cuyahoga River engulfed in flames, citizens of Cleveland and other Americans experienced a pivotal moment that sparked a deep desire for environmental change. The burning river served as a powerful symbol, igniting political action and engagement. Cleveland had lost control as its once life-sustaining waters turned into destructive fires, creating an alarming experience. Post-fire, the area became undesirable to live in, earning Cleveland the infamous nickname “the mistake by the lake.” Carl Stokes recognized the connection between environmental issues and social concerns, understanding that polluted water and air contributed to challenges faced by industrial cities across America. The 1969 fire further reinforced his arguments. In Ohio, individuals initially initiated small-scale efforts to clean up the Cuyahoga River but eventually sought assistance from Washington since they couldn’t address this issue alone.
The Clean Water Act of 1972 was created in response to the Cuyahoga River fire, with the goal of making water suitable for swimming and fishing by prohibiting the dumping of hazardous materials into navigable routes in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was tasked with cleaning up polluted waters, starting with the Cuyahoga River. To find effective cleaning equipment, various experimental designs were tested. Frank Samsel personally funded and converted his boat into a cleaning machine equipped with a vacuum tank that could extract heavy fuel oil and debris from the water’s surface. His efforts resulted in removing 15-20 thousand gallons of oil and a significant amount of debris daily for 16 hours. Over time, waste dumping in the river decreased, leading to notable improvements after six years. The Clean Water Act continues its monitoring and testing of water quality, nearing completion ten years after the river fire incident.
While some factories were cleaned up and others moved to improve pollution control, it became apparent that the industry was not solely accountable for all the pollution. People were also identified as significant contributors, through actions such as discharging from residences, salt and brine from gas wells, absence of septic systems, pet waste, and improper disposal of motor oil into sewers. Consequently, there was a recognition that everyone had to assume responsibility. However, the absence of a specific cause for the entirety of the pollution posed additional challenges in terms of regulation.
A solution to improve the Cuyahoga River for both steel mills and the environment is to create ecological bulkheads. These bulkheads, currently being tested on the river, serve the purpose of maintaining the shipping channel while also providing habitats for plants and fish. This innovative approach has the potential to revitalize urban waterways across America. In contrast, dams are temporary structures that offer no ecological benefits and are considered failures. Despite humans’ ability to construct and remove dams, the ongoing conflict between man and nature persists.
Dealing with human waste poses one of the main challenges in this conflict as it continuously flows and burdens sewer systems. Storm drains in northeast Ohio carry pollutants from man-made structures into sewers where human waste sometimes mixes with industrial waste. To prevent sewer overload during heavy rainstorms, a system of combined sewer overflow pipes is utilized, which directly releases untreated waste into the river.
The issue of bacteria in the water is a significant concern for public health. Cleveland has been constructing storage tunnels, including one at Mill Creek, to manage excess water and address this problem. The stored water is then directed to the sewer plant for treatment, resulting in a noticeable improvement in reducing pollutants in both Mill Creek and the Cuyahoga watershed. In contrast, Akron, Ohio faces challenges due to inadequate funds for resolving their own issues. As a result, human and industrial waste containing bacteria and pollutants enter the Cuyahoga River near Akron. This situation highlights the ongoing struggle of urban expansion encroaching upon natural environments and causing degradation of watersheds and wetlands. This very problem sparked a conflict in Parma –a Cleveland suburb just ten miles away from where the Cuyahoga River meets the sea.
Parma, a working-class community, experienced rapid growth in the 1960s and 1970s and became one of the fastest-growing suburbs. However, there was little focus on preserving green spaces during this expansion. In an undeveloped area within the woods, there was a small stream named West Creek that flowed into the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie. Developers aimed to use this area for various projects like retail, a golf course, and a mall. The community strongly opposed these plans due to concerns about pollution and loss of open space. A committee gathered signatures quietly to protect Parma’s remaining natural environment. People noticed the excessive amount of asphalt and pollution in their community and expressed their desire for open spaces and greenery. After a two-year struggle with local government officials and governors, the committee succeeded in preserving 350 acres of land along the Cuyahoga River.
The West creek Preservation Committee successfully campaigned for stream protection laws in Parma and collaborated with neighboring towns over a span of ten years. They have raised 13 million dollars to restore the original land along the creek and expand the reservation. This effort has inspired numerous groups in northeast Ohio to work towards reviving the Cuyahoga River. These groups are actively involved in cleaning up the water and its tributaries. The West creek Preservation Committee specifically aims to reclaim the confluence, where West creek flows into the Cuyahoga. Their plan includes acquiring the area, restoring the creek’s original banks, and creating approximately 7 acres of floodplain wetlands. These wetlands will serve as the final filtration point for water leaving West creek and entering the Cuyahoga River, which eventually flows into Lake Erie and our drinking water. The belief among biologists and the community is that the Cuyahoga will be fully restored in the future.
