From Burning Rivers to Climate Change
The Cuyahoga River is approximately 85 miles long, running from Hambden, Ohio, through Cleveland, and emptying into Lake Erie. During the 20th Century, the river was one of the most polluted rivers in the country. The surface was covered with "brown oily film" and "large quantities of black heavy oil floating in slicks" were frequently observed. The color changed from grey-brown to rusty brown as the river proceeded downstream. Sludge accumulated at the bottom and animal life did not exist. The river has caught fire at least 13 times. The largest was in 1952, causing over $1 million in damages. On June 22 , 1969, the river caught fire again, causing around $50,000 in damages. After Time magazine published an article about the fire, which described the Cuyahoga as a river that "oozes rather than flows" and in which a person "does not drown but decays," a flurry of environmental legislation was passed. This was the start of the modern environme