Environmental impact along the river
Friday, April 5th, 2019 was one of the first days of the year that Northern Ohio felt like springtime. The sun was shining down on the city of Kent, and it was relatively warm compared to the chilly Ohio winter temperatures the region had dealt with the previous week. Light peeking through the overhanging trees along the bridge path descending from East Main Street coupled with the sound of water flowing over rocks just under the surface of the river created a peaceful environment.
Dozens of Kent residents spent at least part of their day at Franklin Mills Riveredge Park, a city park located directly along the path of the Cuyahoga River. One young woman brought her guitar for some riverside practice. Parents brought their children for photographs after an Easter Egg hunt near the Wick Poetry Center was completed. A pair of toddlers waded through the water while a caretaker searched for their discarded shoes. At a glance, the river is a picturesque location for a day trip or a nice walk.
Following the river for about a mile, however, tells a different story. Cigarette butts are pressed into the mud at nearly every available resting location. Glass shards from at least one broken bottle litter the sand by the riverbed. Receipts and plastic bags from nearby businesses are caught on tree branches. Graffiti dots structures on both sides of the river and discarded cans of spray paint lay on the ground nearby. Visible signs of pollution are everywhere.
Embed link for a Google Map:The Cuyahoga River infamously caught fire in 1969. Parts of the river have been designated as areas of concern by the EPA since 1985. A committee was formed in 1988 to come up with a plan for fixing the river. Since then, the Cuyahoga has improved slowly but steadily.
The EPA still outlines a list of types of pollution and beneficial use impairments. The Cuyahoga water quality is impaired by a lack of oxygen due to runoff and toxic and bacterial contamination. Biodiversity is low in part because of this water contamination. The EPA is also concerned about changes humans have made to the land surrounding the river.
Fish in the river are their own concern. Fish populations are low and fish habitats have been destroyed or contaminated. The fish that do live in the river sometimes have deformities or tumors related to the environment.
Not all of the news is bad, however. The committee formed in 1988 still exists, and in January of 2019, succeeded in taking fish consumption off of the list of concerns the Ohio EPA listed about the river. The website outlines plans to address each of the other listed concerns, and claims that the request to move aesthetic degradation from the list has been approved. The committee meets quarterly, with the most recent meeting taking place on April 9th.
Embed link for Infogram:According to John Idone, the director of Parks and Recreation in Kent, the city sponsors a cleanup of the river two or three times a year by partnering with local nonprofits. Several nonprofits also sponsor cleanups of their own. EnviroScience, for example, is sponsoring a cleanup of the river on April 20th, 2019. Idone referenced the city of Kent’s Waste Management program as a more informed source of information on the river, but there was no response from a representative of that department as of press time.
Eighteen-year-old Daniel Resnick, who has lived in Cleveland his entire life, has been near the river several times. He used to go with his grandmother’s social group on occasional cleanups. “We would pick up trash off the beach and then go eat pancakes.” Renick has also participated in cleanups of Lake Eerie, which connects to the river. “Lake Eerie is a freakin’ polluted mess. There were cigarette butts, a whole t-shirt, and plastic bottles everywhere.” Resnick said.
