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Cuyahoga River 40th Anniversary
November 3, 1952 Cuyahoga River fire (photo credit James Thomas, from Cleveland Press Collection, Cleveland State University Library)
Why aren't there any photos of the 1969 fire?
Rivers catching fire was not that rare an occurrence in the United States in the 20th century. (Chicago River, IL (1899), Passaic River, NY (1918), Buffalo River, NY (1968)
) Also the 1969 fire burned for less than half an hour, so no newspaper managed to get a photo before it was extinguished. There were photos of the damage to nearby structures, however.
Share Your Cuyahoga Memories
- Question of the Week on Greenversations: EPA's blog
- Memories of the Cuyahyoga River post on Greenversations
- Share your own photos of the Cuyahoga River on our Flickr group.
- Submit your own recollections on our Facebook event page.
On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. This dramatic event, which got international news coverage, is still a reminder of the need to protect the environment. But this blot on the American environment actually led to positive results, including creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and passage of major environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act in 1972.
Because of the Clean Water Act, we paid attention to how much pollution manufacturers were putting into waterways like the Cuyahoga. The legislation set limits on pollution, and gave EPA the power to fine industry for violating those limits. Sewage treatment plants were improved and new sewer lines added.
Photos taken by Time Magazine photographer George Leavens are in Ohio EPA's online gallery.They include a photo of the site of the '69 fire that shows the oil slick that contributed to the fire.
- The Cuyahoga River today
- Personal Accounts - listen to interviews with three people who were working on the Cuyahoga River 40 years ago
- Links
The Cuyahoga River today
Today, the Cuyahoga River and waterfront area have been transformed. Oxygen levels in the river have increased while pollutant and bacteria levels have decreased. Researchers found more than 40 species of fish in the river in 2008, including some that only live in "clean" water. As late as 1984, they could find only 23 species. The area adjacent to the riverfront at Lake Erie, known as "The Flats," was a warehouse district at the time of the fire. Now it houses shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and a harbor. Now it's one of Ohio's top tourist destinations, with shops, restaurants and an active harbor.
But the job is not done yet. Planning ways to treat stormwater and runoff from agriculture will help the Cuyahoga River become even healthier.
Cuyahoga River Slideshow
Jim Irwin from Ohio EPA in the Cuyahoga River gorge near Cuyahoga Falls and Akron (~River Mile 46). Taken while investigating a petroleum discharge from underground tanks. (photo credit Ohio EPA, August 2006) [photo 1 of 6]
Kent State student going over "Rookie Drop" falls in the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Falls (~River Mile 47). Met during an interview for the local NPR affiliate (WKSU) about the two dam projects. (photo credit Ohio EPA, January 2006) [photo 2 of 6]
John Rhoades holds up a rainbow trout he caught along the banks of the Cuyahoga near Pinery Narrows (~River Mile 18). (photo credit John Rhoades Photo, January 2004) [photo 3 of 6]
Poster from a grade school contest for the ribbon cutting celebration at the Kent Dam Project. The Pufferbelly restaurant (former Erie Railroad Depot) is in the background. (photo credit Ohio EPA, April 2005) [photo 4 of 6]
Ohio EPA biologist Roger Thoma (retired) describes fish collections in the lower Cuyahoga River as producer Larry Hott films a sequence for PBS documentary "Return of the Cuyahoga". The Flats in Cleveland. (photo credit Ohio EPA, June 2007) [photo 5 of 6]
A kayaker plays in a standing wave at the Kent dam bypass. (photo credit Ohio EPA, May 2005) [photo 6 of 6]
If you have your own photos of the Cuyahoga River, you can share them on our Flickr group.
Personal Accounts
Kelvin Rogers, Ohio EPA
"It was pretty bad back then, 70s early 80s."
Kelvin Rogers, Cuyahoga River RAP/ Storm Water Coordinator looks back on a 30-year career with Ohio EPA. "I remember one of my first job duties was taking a look at the Cuyahoga River and working with some of the steel mills in the City of Cleveland and seeing a lot of the discharges that they had to the river before they installed any waste water treatment systems. So it was pretty bad back then, 70s early 80s."
Play the interview with Kelvin Rogers (MP3, 1.1MB, runtime 6:45) | Read the transcript
"The fire was June 22, 1969, and as an example, by November of 1969 we had the National Environmental Policy Act."
Edith Chase is president and founder of the Ohio Coastal Resource Management Project. In 2005, she received the NOAA award for Coastal Steward of the Year. "So this middle section of the Cuyahoga --- it's a resource and it's an economic asset, too. And you know a lot of people did a lot of work, and pulled together and you know, credit to Ohio EPA because they got all the stakeholders involved. And I'll tell you, that stakeholder process sure does take a long time. But we're very pleased with how it turned out."
Play the interview with Edith Chase (MP3, 1.1MB, runtime 5:19) | Read the transcript
"When you now look at downtown Cleveland... what the people demanded has certainly paid off."
Retired EPA employee Glenn Pratt was involved in environmental studies which in turn led to environmental enforcement. "But in fact, when we put together the report on the Cuyahoga... that was the first time that the federal government... actually wrote reports for the ordinary person to understand. And we included photographs! The first federal reports ever to have photographs, which sounds like nothing. But in those days, it was almost shall we say, revolutionary."
Play the interview with Glenn Pratt (MP3, 1.1MB, runtime 7:41) | Read the transcript
Memories of the Cuyahyoga River post from EPA employee Mark Moloney on Greenversations, US EPA's blog
Links
The following links are to non-EPA sites with interesting information about the Cuyahoga River then and now.
- Year of the River from the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization - Celebrating 40 years of Cuyahoga River recovery
- Once Gray, Now Green from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
- After the fire: Cuyahoga River clean up history features accounts from people involved in early pollution reduction efforts
- Year of the Cuyahoga River series of articles from the Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Images of fires on the Cuyahoga River in the Cuyahoga River Online Exhibition from the Cleveland Press Collection at Cleveland State University Library
- Cuyahoga River Fire in Ohio History Central from the Ohio Historical Society
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park