This type of seed, we went to the closest waterway we knew in the area. What we found was, everything because of what we do the crooked river, is dying. The Cuyahoga River, as most think of it, the brown stream that meets lake erie, and industrial waterway that beings populated by factories, its channel is filled with ships and garbage. As it reaches lake erie after 100 mile twisting and turning journey, and in an exhausting scream, abused and misused by man and his machine. The cuyahoga is a metropolis for the cleveland, it was originally there for the western reserve in the 1780s. The river is called crooked by the indians provided the waterway to the interior of ohio. So, man came, and continued coming. And today, more than 2 Million People live and work in the river basin. Including the urban complex, man has used the river as many have always used water. The flow has been put to the work as a stream, a supply, and is a sewer. Mans mark is everywhere. Is is mark everlasting for the call cuyahoga . There has been changes since 1966, but as mans mark, it is still an issue today, the cuyahoga is still dying. There is a possibility of restoration. The Cuyahoga River begins between two separate branches. Currently its name, it forms a crooked path to akron, then north to cleveland and lake erie. 100 miles of waterway. This epilogue and essay on the cuyahoga begins a few miles from the rivers source, the conservationists gather each spring for new tripped on the river. Its a inspection trip and restoration trip. This year some 450 people followed for the trip. The editor of the canton ohio, talks about the cuyahoga, and draws your attention to the problem. People come from miles around, like miss Bessie Simpson from lakewood, does the 25 mile trip alone. [ music ] among the group is a district engineer of the buffalo district, corps of army engineers. The district is responsible for keeping streams open in this part of the country. Recently, theyve been on the forefront of aleutian control. I told everybody, you know theres a lot going on in this river. [ indiscernible ] in the ohio rapids, called camp hi, is stopped by a small waterfall, the bridge were in and that can you go around it. Theres a point proved here, one you can bring the kayak over the falls. As well as you can catch fast in the once the levitated Cuyahoga River. Some focus on the situation on the desperation of this scene, mayor bob thomas, has cleaned up their part of the river. Even cleaning the riverbed itself. And transform an overgrown riverside into a picnic area. The general consensus was good. The cuyahoga, back to its beginnings, is in better condition than it has been in years. The 25 mile trip ended. The cuyahoga forms the second Water Reservoir for the city of akron. When the weather is good you can find fishermen on the roadside, it is rumored that theres a few spots were fish inhabit the cuyahoga. From this point on, the river begins to show the ravages of man and ultimately our despaired by the time it reaches lake erie. Much of the destruction comes from places like this. Is a Waste Water Treatment Plant southeast of lake rockwell. In short, the plant is not large enough tos treat the waste, and the situation is so bad, that the ohio state Water Pollution board has put a ban on new construction until a new plan can be built. And put into authorization. The superintendent, says he just doesnt have the facilities to do what he supposed to do. There are plans for a new plant, and the federal government may help. But it costs some 2 million to build it, and it takes patent taxes to pay for it. As a result, largely untreated sewage runs through a ditch near back and into a series of creeks that flow into the cuyahoga above cant. The there are times the river becomes a sewer. [ music ] twin lakes, theres a new sewage plant under construction, its Patricia BarryTreatment Plant meaning it releases highly treated water back to the environment. It is the best Sewage Treatment system unlike many. This plant will be adequate for future development of the area. As it flows silently by cuyama the cuyahoga begins to smell, and the riverbed is covered with line. Slime. It has succumbed to modern man. [ music ] just be able to stay at lake locklin, the river begins to show its age. Theres millions of gallons of water that is required by akron. The water is so in in pure that at one time, slugs taken from it were dumped into the river largely to the efforts, two large shipping tons were built to hold the slugs, and even they are almost full, that part of the plant will most likely have to be expanded in the future. By legislatures act, the city owns the right to the rivers water, and the citys upstream must use municipal or private wells for water supply. Akron is now considering a Third Reservoir meaning a new band across the Cuyahoga River. With the new reservoir, the city could begin selling water. Even now, the city of akron uses so much water from the river, in times of low flow, the stream almost stops running. Then you can see another band. That once flowed to the city of kent, now the river runs somewhat cleaner but is still is not pure by any means. It is okay enough to feed both fish and several have been taken along the spots. There is even talk here in kent of making the river into a park, available to all, the plans might be completed. It was mentioned five years ago. On the outskirts of kent, where the river heads for Cuyahoga Falls, is a new kent wastewater Treatment Plant, it was under construction five years ago. You can have for millions 4 Million Pounds of waste each day and has a state requirement into the Cuyahoga River. In 1960 kent builds for preparation, such as for today but even the new plant cannot do its job properly because of the terms in which it must treat , everything from slaughterhouse remains to industrial while and oil is flushed to the sewage of kent, as it was in other cities along the river. Across the river from the plant, places from the industry does leak into the river. There is a and venable mark on the river. And iron colored breast. And iron colored mark. Cuyahoga has almost any problem that any American River has. It has sediment on the bottom, its full of debris, it has a tremendous amount of other things. Their specialized use for water here the supply of paper manufacturing is happening. Such uses of water can happen until it finally reaches lake erie. Below kent the river slowly goes through the Cuyahoga Falls and in some spot its like a little stream. The water and industrial sewer, they trickle into the big local river, it appears to be in better condition than it was five years ago, but many of the polluters then are still actively contributing today of the cuyahoga. From Cuyahoga Falls the river winds to the city of akron, upstream the city remains some 70 million gallons of water a day. And then several miles below that. In lowflow day, this makes up 85 of the rivers water. And normal conditions as much as half. From here, it appears to act like a river, rapids and waterfalls, for several hundred feet a little more than a mile and a half. By the time the Cuyahoga River reaches that area it is dead. And all, Sewage Treatment plan and at least 20 more industries, recent to the river during the hundred mile trek to the lake. The cleveland Treatment Plant as another 75 million gallons to the to the river alone now it is known as a river to us today. We talk about cleaning up lake erie but the trick to that is not necessary the lakes, you have to clean up the sources, and sedimentarys, industries in this area that use river water find they have to clean it first. Then many more before dumping it back. While the front area will never again be how it is a can be made not to smell but the costs are staggering. First we have to put our industrial waste in our water waste. We have to get them all cleaned up. That we have to clean up the mess we have made. The program like this can work on a basin like the cuyahoga, it could mark anywhere. You have to beat the odds, and it can take a few months to a year or two. The Cuyahoga River has been rebuilding, and by the time it ends, it has been long and dead. This is an epilogue to the story of how a decrepit river dies. It is simply that man has multiplied too fast and the habits how are pollution. It because its out polluting like the cuyahoga, his face may indeed that of the crooked river. 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