Burn On, Big River

Cuyahoga River Fire:  40 Years Later

The fire on the Cuyahoga, the river once described as the river that "oozes rather than flows", symbolizes the start of the environmental movement. 

A green City on a Blue Lake

Monday June 22, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the last time the Cuyahoga River caught fire.  This particular fire marked the point in time where environmentalism came of age.  In this post I would like to examine what happened and the subsequent events that make this date in history so important for environmentalists.  Special thanks to Paul Graham for alerting me via the social media release: Positively Cleveland - a green city on a blue lake.   The city of Cleveland is obviously proud of what they have accomplished in the last forty years and we all hope the next forty will be equally as successful.  Now lets explore the issues a bit further.

Year of the River

In 1969 the Cuyahoga was considered one of the most polluted rivers in the USA and was completely devoid of fish from Akron to Cleveland.  A Cleveland University symposium had previously described one section of the river as follows:

"... The surface is covered with the brown oily film observed upstream as far as the Southerly Plant effluent. In addition, large quantities of black heavy oil floating in slicks, sometimes several inches thick, are observed frequently. Debris and trash are commonly caught up in these slicks forming an unsightly floating mess. Anaerobic action is common as the dissolved oxygen is seldom above a fraction of a part per million. The discharge of cooling water increases the temperature by 10 to 15°F. The velocity is negligible, and sludge accumulates on the bottom. Animal life does not exist. Only the algae Oscillatoria grows along the piers above the water line.   The color changes from gray-brown to rusty brown as the river proceeds downstream. Transparency is less than 0.5 feet in this reach. This entire reach is grossly polluted. ..."  Reference:  Wikipedea - Cuyahoga River

The Cuyahoga River was so polluted that, over the previous century, 13 fires had been recorded, the most severe fire occurring in 1952 when not only boats were damaged but also riverside buildings.  In 1969 the last fire occurred.  An oil slick fire, apparently started by sparks from a passing train, resulted in flames five stories high.  The fire lasted only 1/2 hour and caused $50K worth of damage;  relatively tame for a man-made disaster.   BUT, it's significance extended far beyond the immediate dollars and sense.   This fire marked the beginning of real environmental movement, a time when when action replaced talk.   "Legislators who had been talking about protecting the environment finally did something about it -- and industrialists who had been polluting the river since the Industrial Revolution had to change their ways." - Cleveland.com.   The fire was the ultimate catalyst for:

• Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Creation of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
• the Clean Water Act
• the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
  

Cuyahoga River Cleanup Begins

The following table summarizes the cleanup activities since the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire.  (Reference:   After the Flames)

1970	The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created Kent Environmental Council was created, with an emphasis on Cuyahoga River
1972	The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District took over sewer operations for Cleveland Adoption of the Clean Water Act
1974	Creation of Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area which preserves natural areas along the river.  This area is now known as a National Park
1988	The 45 river miles between Akron and Cleveland named one of 43 most polluted waterways on the Great Lakes The Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan was put in place
1990	Founding of the Friends of The Crooked River, a group that has sponsored a cleanup along the length of the Cuyahoga Fish found in the river: Bluntnose minnow Brown bullhead Common carp Common white sucker Creek chub Eastern gizzard shad Freshwater drum Grass pickerel Northern bluegill sunfish Spotfin shiner White bass Yellow bullhead
1991	An Ohio EPA report shows improving fish populations and water quality in tributaries to Cuyahoga New fish species found: Central stoneroller minnow Goldfish Green sunfish Largemouth bass Northern hog sucker Sand shiner Spotfin shiner Sunfish hybrid bluegill Sunfish hybrid pumpkinseed White perch
1992	New species found: Black bullhead Bluntnose minnow Northern rockbass Pumpkinseed sunfish Smallmouth bass
1994	Fish-eating birds (great blue heron and bald eagle) are observed at the Cuyahoga
1997	Construction begins on Mill Creek tunnel, a massive pipe designed to hold sewage and rainwater for treatment before it enters the Cuyahoga River New fish species found: Channel catfish Common Emerald shiner Steelhead trout *Golden redhorse
1998	White House names Cuyahoga as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers New fish species found: Green sunfish hybrid *Greenside darter Northern logperch darter
1999	New fish species found: Bigmouth buffalo Black crappie Common shiner Golden shiner Northern fathead minnow Shorthead redhorse Striped shiner Warmouth sunfish
2000	An Ohio EPA report indicates that six of eight areas between Akron and Cleveland meet some or all of the goals set by the federal Clean Water Act
2001	New fish species found: Central stoneroller minnow * Northern longear sunfish Northern pike
2002	Akron announces a $377 million plan to correct its sewage dumping activities into the Cuyahoga during heavy rains
2003	USA EPA approves state report that outlines ways to improve the river New fish species found: Pumpkinseed Green sunfish hybrid Smallmouth buffalofish White crappie
2004	The Cuyahoga is rerouted around the Kent dam to give fish a better chance to move upstream New fish species found: Central quillback carpsucker
2005	The Munroe Falls dam is removed
2006	New fish species found: Brook silverside Flathead catfish *Mimic Shiner Rainbow darter Silverjaw minnow
2007	A prototype underwater habitat basket is developed by the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization for placement along steel bulkheads in Cleveland to give aquatic plants and animals a chance to thrive in the still lifeless channel. New fish species found: Round goby Silver Redhorse Western blacknose dace
2008	Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District studies are forwarded to the EPA showing that much of the middle section of the Cuyahoga should meet the "fishable" standard set by the Clean Water Act New fish species found: Bigmouth Shiner
2009	Year of the River declared by Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization

Recent Cuyahoga Assessments

When the Ohio EPA biologists first started counting fish back in 1984 there were only a few pollution-tolerant fish species in the worst polluted section of the Cuyahoga River.  "they would literally come back with fewer than 10 fish.  Not 10 fish species, but 10 fish, and most of those were species like gizzard shad, which can survive in polluted water, but end up deformed or mutated."  (Reference After the Flames.)

In 2008, approximately 60 species of fish are found in the Cuyahoga River, the two most common being Hogsuckers and Spotfin Shiners.  Both are moderately sensitive to to the quality of the water.  Meanwhile a robust fishery is still beyond reach in the most affected areas.

Many polluted areas of the river now meet aquatic life water quality standards except near dam impoundments.  In these cases the water quality is not an issue but instead fish passage and habitat issues.

All in all, the City of Cleveland and the relevant agencies, districts and groups have done an excellent job over the last 40 years.  Let's all hope we can put the Randy Newman song "Burn On, Big River" behind us and come up with a new environment friendly tune such as "Thrive On Cuyahoga".