During the Industrial Revolution, the Cuyahoga River in northeast Ohio became a dumping ground for waste materials and debris created by factories, steel mills and other businesses located along its banks. Over the years, the river also became polluted with oils and industrial byproducts until it eventually caught fire in 1969.
According to Mark J. Kovasity, author of “The Cuyahoga River Fire” from the latest issue of the Environmental Practice Specialty’s publication, EnviroMentor, the Cuyahoga River Fire is important for three reasons: 1) it brought national attention to the issue of environmental pollution; 2) it brought awareness that economic prosperity should not be fostered at the expense of natural resource demise; and 3) it led to the creation and passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972.
Click here to read more about the Cuyahoga River Fire and the lasting effects of CWA.
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers