There are not many scenes such as this any more. You really have to look for them. In the looking, you will discover that our environment is not the endless thing our forefathers thought it was. Five years ago, montage sought out this kind of scene. We went to the closest major waterway we knew in the area of cleveland. And what we found was that every day because of what we do the Crooked River dies. The Cuyahoga River as most think of it, the brown stream that meets lake erie, an industrial waterway, its banks populated by steel mills and factories. Its channel filled with ships and tugs. The Cuyahoga River as it reaches lake erie after a 100 mile twisting and turning journey from head waters is an exhausting stream. Abused, misused by man and his machines. Without the cuyahoga, the sprawling area of cleveland, g akron would not exist. The river was the reason of settling here in the 1780s. The river called quicken by the delaware indians provided a waterway to the interior of ohio and so man came and continued coming. Still today, nearly 2 million live and work in the river basin. In creating this urban complex, man used the river as men have always used rivers. The flow has been put to work as a and a half gabl stream, water s supply and sewer. Mans mark is everywhere. There have been changes since 1966. But if mans mark has not become an epitaph, it is still a death. Without question, the cuyahoga is still dying. Theres a possibility of resurrection. The Cuyahoga River begins as two separate branchs from springs and marshes. True to its name, finds a crooked path south to akron, north to cleveland and lake erie. 100 miles of waterway. This epilogue, this essay begins a few miles from the river source near burton, ohio, where conservationists gather each spring for a canoe trip down the river. It is as much inspection as recognize reac recreation. This year, more than 400 went on the trip. Complaints about the polluted cuyahoga and canoe trip helped draw attention to the problem. The trip is fun, too, and families take to the water. They come from miles around. Enthusiasts like this 70yearold, best ee simpson from lakewood who made the 25 mile trtrip alone. Among the group, the district engineer of the Buffalo District. Colonel ray hanson. The Buffalo District is responsible for keeping navigable streams open in this part of the country, recently has been in the forefront of pollution control. Tell everybody what problems are there, a lot of trash going into the river. Not every cabin is throwing trash out the door, too close to the river, septic tanks overflow. It is oozing through the banks. We have it under investigation already. Below a highering rapids and retreat called camp high, the canoers are stopped by a small waterfall. They carried canoes around it, and then went on. Except one that stopped. That he could float a kayak over t and two, that he could catch bass from the ones polluted waters of the Cuyahoga River. The success of past trips and focusing attention at the desperate situation of the stream is evidenced. Mayor bob thomas and citizens cleaned up their part of the river, hauling trash away, cleaning the river bed itself. They transformed an overgrown riverside field into a town park and picnic area. The general consensus was good. The cuyahoga from Lake Rockwell back to its beginnings is in better condition than it has been in years. The 25 mile trip ended just below matwa. Farther so farth farther south, the second reservoir for the city of akron. And when the weather is good, you can find fishermen on the roadside where highway 14 crosses the lake. It is one of the few remaining spots where fish in habit the cuyahoga. From this point on, the river begins to show the ravages of man that will ultimately destroy it by the time it reaches lake eri erie. Much of it comes from the Treatment Plant southeast of rockwell. It is not large enough to treat the waste for the area it serves. The situation so bad, ohio state pollution board has a ban on new construction until a new plan is built and put into operation. Plant superintendent says simply he doesnt have the facilities to do what he is supposed to do. There are plans for a new plant, the federal government may help. It costs some 200 million to build it. And it will take taxes to pay for it. As a result largely untreated sewage runs from the plant to a ditch nearby and into a series of creeks that flow into the cuyahoga above kent. For a time, the river becomes a sewer. Near twin lakes a new sewage Treatment Plant is under construction. It is a tertiary Treatment Plant, meaning it releases highly treated water back to the environment. It is the best Sewage Treatment system, unlike many. And this plant will be adequate for future development of the area. But as it flows silently by historic Standing Rock near kent, the cuyahoga begins to smell and the river bed is covered with slime. The ancient tribal meeting grounds of ohios banished Indian Tribes has succumbed to modern man. Just below the spillway of Lake Rockwell, the cuyahoga begins to show its age. The city of akron is expanding main water intake to handle millions of gallons of water required by akron. But the water is so impure that at one time tons of sludge taken from it are dumped into the river. Largely for the efforts, two large settling ponds are built to hold sludge. Now even they are almost full. And that part of the plant will likely have to be expanded in the future. By legislative act, the city owns rights to the rivers water and the upstream must use municipal or private wells for water supply. But akron is considering a fourth Water Reservoir beyond Lake Rockwell, meaning a new bend of the cuyahoga. With a new reservoir, the city could begin selling water to countless towns in the area. Even now, city of akron uses so much water from the river that in times of low flow the stream almost stops running. There are those that feel another dam will kill the cuyahoga. That once flowed through kent, but now the river runs somewhat clear, but not pure by any means. It is cleaning up to support fish. Several have been taken from this spot below kent falls, right in the heart of town. There is even talk in kent of making the river into a park available to all and we are told plans for it have been completed. It was a different story five years ago. On the outskirts of kent where the river heads to cuyahoga falls, the new kent wastewater Treatment Plant under construction five years ago. It can provide secondary treatment of 4 million gallons of waste each day, it is now meeting the state requirements for discharges into the cuyahoga. In 1960, kent faced the situation in which ravena finds itself today. Even kent finding it difficult to do its job properly because of the kind of waste it must treat, everything from slaughter house remains to industrial sludge and oil are flushed into sewers of kent as it is in innumerable other cities along the river. Across the river from the plant, the affluent from a Metals Industry leaks into the cuyahoga, and the orange colored iron and rust puts an indelible mark on the river. The cuyahoga has just about any problem any river in theist has. They go from the upper end to this end, has polluted sediment, erosion, full of debris, tremendously heavy load of municipal and industrial waste. In man well falls, a small dam provides water. Such uses of river water continue until it reaches lake erie. It goes through the city of cuyahoga falls, sometimes an idyllic stream. An industrial sewer, waste trick else into the river. Appears in better condition than five years ago, many of the polluters found them are actively contributing to the death of the cuyahoga. From cuyahoga falls, the river winds through the city of akron. From three dams upstream, they remove 70 million gallons of water a day, returns it to the tiny stream at the plant several miles below the nins. During low flow periods, the discharge may makeup 85 of the river water. Under normal conditions, as much as half. From here, the cuyahoga attempts to act like a river, coursing down rapids, waterfalls, descending 700 feet in little more than a mile and a half. By the time the cuyahoga reaches cleveland, it is already dead. Theres little life of any kind in its water. In all, 44 sewage Treatment Plants and 28 known industries discharge waste into the river during the 100 mile trek to the lake. The cleveland southern Treatment Plant adds another 75 million gallons of affluent to the river alone. Now it is the river thats known throughout the world as the only one that burns. We talk about cleaning up lake erie. The secret is not out in the lakes, it is in the district area. You have to clean up the sources the stuff being washed into the lake. Industries that use river water find they have to clean it first, then many dirty it more before dumping it back. There are proposals for cleaning up the river. While the port area will never again be a trout stream, it can be made not to smell. The cost for cleanup may be staggering. First, we have civilization have to toilet train ourselves, stop putting industrial waste and municipal waste in the water. Second, we have to clean up the mess you made over the past decades while we have been doing this. If a clean up can work on a basic like the cuyahoga, it can just about work anywhere. It is big enough we can do a big job, small enough it is impactful in a period of a few months or a year or two. While we can report added source, the Cuyahoga River has been reborn, we must also report by the time it ends, it has been long dead. If there is an epilogue to the story how the Crooked River dies, it is simply that man has multiplied too fast, and slof enly habits made it difficult to live. If it does not stop polluting, eventually like the cuyahoga, he will find theres nothing clean left and his face may indeed resemble that of the Crooked River. All week, featuring American History tv programs as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan3. Lectures in history, american artifacts, real america, the civil war, oral histories, the presidency, and special coverage about our nations history. Enjoy American History tv now and every weekend on cspan3. Weeknights this month, featuring American History tv programs as a preview of whats available every weekend on cspan3. Tonight, a look at world war ii. We begin with High School Teacher karen cabana on food rationing during the war, and innovations that led to modern day processed food. She then discussed wartime policies dealing with farm labor shortages, foot rationing on the home front. Watch American History tv at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. Sunday at 9 00 a. M. Eastern, a washington journal and American History tv live special call in program looking back at woodstock, the 1969 cultural and musical phenomenon. David farber joins us to take calls. Drugs matter, but who takes the drugs and why the drugs have the effect they did in the 60s and early 70s is again something were wrestling with as scholars to understand. The technology of drugs, we have David Cartwright and others here that thought long and hard about this, is imperative of understanding not just of the 60s but of the production of history, what drugs we use at a given period and place have an incredible ability to change the direction of a given society. Call in to talk with david farber about social movements of the 60s leading to woodstock and its legacy. Woodstock, 50 years, sunday at 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspans washington journal. Also live on American History tv on cspan3. Watch book tv for live coverage of the National Book festival, saturday august 31st, starting 10 00 a. M. Eastern. Coverage includes author interviews with Justice Ruth Bader ginsberg on her book my own words. David troyer. Sharon robinson talks about her book child of the dream. And thomas malone, founding director of the mit center for collective intelligence discusses his book super minds. The National Book festival, Live Saturday august 31st at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on book tv on cspan2. Oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain for purple mountains majesties above the fruited plain america,
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.