Module 1.2 - A Turning Point Event for Environmental Science: Cuyahoga River, OH
Cuyahoga River, OH
1.
Point of View
The last time the Cuyahoga River burned, it
brought a very disastrous problem to light. In the short video “Celebrating the
Comeback of the Burning River, 1969-2019”, they interview people who had
experienced the tragedy firsthand to really explain what a crisis it was. Water
does not burn unless there is something outrageously wrong, and people needed
to do something about it. They truly show how scary the Cuyahoga River was, and
what a feat it was going to be to clean it up. People from all over came
together to fix this problem.
2.
Purpose
The purpose of the video “Celebrating the
Comeback of the Burning River, 1969-2019” was to show a horrible situation that
opened the eyes of society, and made people come together to make significant
changes that impacted society for the better. The cleanup of the Cuyahoga River
paved the way for cleaning up water all around the world. They put clean water
systems in place that are used everywhere. Now the river is celebrated and
enjoyed by everyone that visits it!
3.
Questions at Issue
The problem that the people of Ohio are
trying to fix now is the removal of the Gorge Dam in Cuyahoga Falls. This large
hydroplant was built in the early 1900’s and it never became a functioning
hydroplant. If this large concrete structure was removed, the river would
return the a naturally flowing stream, fish and other wildlife could travel
upstream, and the new white water rapids and waterfalls would bring tourism to
Cuyahoga Falls. As a result of the tourism, new restaurants, hotels, and shops
would be built by the river that could generate revenue. However, a lot of
teamwork and support from community would be needed in order to take the dam
out.
4.
Information
The Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969. Water quality
became a big issue in the late sixties and early seventies. The river was
tremendously polluted with oil and other toxins so it’s conditions were
extremely hazardous. The river had its own unique smell because factories would
dump their waste into the river to get rid of it. It was so bad that people
thought cleaning the river might be hopeless. They developed an education
system where they trained technicians on how to clean water and how to keep it
clean. The sewer district invested more than five billion dollars in cleaning
up the Cuyahoga River, and industrial discharges became regulated under the
Clean Water Act. Now that the river is clean the fish have returned and people
use it recreationally.
5.
Interpretation and Inference
In the video “Celebrating the Comeback of the
Burning River, 1969-2019” they explain that people all over the world
benefitted from what happened to the Cuyahoga River. It made people aware of
water quality, and it showed what happens when it gets really bad. Since new
systems had to be learned and put into place to clean up the Cuyahoga River,
they are now used all over to clean water and keep water clean. Since people
are now aware of environmental consequences they need to continue to do better
than they have before to improve environments everywhere.
6.
Concepts
Throughout “Celebrating the Comeback of the
Burning River, 1969-2019” they use a lot of terms, laws, and companies that
some people might not have heard of. Here are a few explained.
· Federal
Water Pollution Control Act of 1970 and 1972 (Also known as the Clean Water Act)
– “The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major U.S. law
to address water pollution. Growing public awareness and concern for
controlling water pollution led to sweeping amendments in 1972.”
o Established
the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the
United States.
o Gave
EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting
wastewater standards for industry.
o Maintained
existing requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in
surface waters.
o Made
it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into
navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions.
o Funded
the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants
program.
o Recognized
the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by non-point source
pollution.
· International
Joint Commission - The International Joint Commission is a bi-national
organization established by the governments of the United States and Canada
under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Its responsibilities were expanded
with the signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978.
· Sierra
Club - The Sierra Club is the most enduring and influential grassroots
environmental organization in the United States.
· LTV
Steel - The third-largest US steelmaker, LTV is a leading supplier to the
automotive, appliance, and electrical equipment industries.
· EPA - U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
· Industrial
Discharges - Wastewater discharges from industrial and commercial sources may
contain pollutants at levels that could affect the quality of receiving waters
or interfere with publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) that receive those
discharges.
· Pretreatment
Program – A method to control the pollutants discharged into sanitary sewer
systems and used to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the
environment.
7.
Assumptions
In “Celebrating the Comeback of the Burning
River, 1969-2019” they are very optimistic about the changes made for the
Cuyahoga River. They seem to assume that the changes made for that river will
make people all over the world take water quality more serious. Unfortunately,
there are still parts of the world that continue to pollute their water supply.
8.
Consequences
The consequences of the Cuyahoga River
burning have been great! Cleaning up the Cuyahoga River has improved water
quality, not only for the Cuyahoga River, but for the entire world. It opened
people’s eyes to water pollution, and what happens if it gets out of hand. We
have structures, laws, and systems in place to keep water clean because of the
disaster on the Cuyahoga. Now, the people of Ohio enjoy a clean river. There
are waterside restaurants and shops, and people can now kayak, boat, swim, and
fish in the river when just 50 years ago it was extremely hazardous.
Sources
“History of the Clean Water Act” EPA, Edited on August 8, 2017 https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act
Accessed
January 28, 2020.
“Role of the IJC” International Joint Commission https://www.ijc.org/en/who/role Accessed January
28, 2020.
“About the Sierra Club” Sierra Club https://www.sierraclub.org/about-sierra-club Accessed
January 28, 2020.
“LTV” LTV Steel https://www.ltvsteel.com/ Accessed
January 28, 2020.
“National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)”
EPA Edited October 7, 2017 https://www.epa.gov/npdes/industrial-wastewater
Accessed January 28, 2020.
“Pretreatment” SAWS https://apps.saws.org/environment/ResourceProtComp/industrial/pretreatment.cfm
Accessed January 28, 2020.
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