Citizens, Government, and the Burning River
Description
"Anyone who falls in the Cuyahoga, does not drown, ... he decays." (TIME Magazine. Aug. 1, 1969). For dedades pollution on the Cuyahoga River was out of control. National attention was drawn to the pollution problem with information about the Cuyahoga River fire of June 22, 1969 appearing in the widely publicized TIME issue of the Ted Kennedy scandal of Chappaquiddick. That along with efforts by then mayor Carl Stokes, sparked the interaction of community groups, the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the federal government to attack polluted water ways.
Credits
Francine Wyman, Matthew Wyman, Bruce Wheeler
Sections
Pollution on the Cuyahoga
A pollution problem permeated the Cuyahoga River many years prior to the 1969 fire. Several more extensive and dangerous fires occured before the June 22 fire of 1969. Industrial waste, raw sewage and other factors contributed to the prolific pollution problem.
Cleveland Leads the Way
The June 22, 1969, issue of Time Magazine was highly sought for information regarding the Ted Kennedy/Chappawidick scandal. However, the article that created a nationwide environmental uproar was about the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, catching fire. Soon the fire became recurring part of Johnny Carson's monologue on The Tonight Show. The national attention that grew out of the publicity received sparked public protests in Cleveland and across the nation. All forms of media across the country attack the issues of water/air pollution and demand a rescue of the planet before it is too late.Governmental Response
After years of neglect, at least 10 fires on the Cuyahoga River and growing public outrage, policy makers are forced to take action. This section provides key legislation and interaction between governmental powers in their effort to clean up America's water ways.
In the political cartoon, President Lyndon B. Johnson, (1963-1969) ponders what to do about pleas for HELP! to clean up the Cuyahoga River, after the fire of June 22, 1969.