Cuyahoga Valley National Park guide · 1 min read
The River That Burned: Cuyahoga's Comeback
The Cuyahoga River forms the backbone of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a green stretch of forest, wetlands and farmland between Cleveland and Akron.
Its name means "crooked river," and for hundreds of years it carried travelers and goods before it helped power the industrial growth of northeast Ohio. By the mid to late twentieth century, it was among the most polluted rivers in the United States. It caught fire thirteen times, the most recent in 1969.
The 1969 fire drew national attention and helped spark Earth Day the following year. Factory waste and sewage were both part of the problem, and the river's condition helped lead to the Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Later laws curbed the dumping of cyanide and other pollutants.
The river's recovery shows up in several ways. Industries and cities discharge far fewer toxins, regional sewer projects have reduced overflows of untreated wastewater, and the removal of obsolete dams has improved oxygen levels and fish movement. The demolition of the Brecksville Diversion Dam was a major milestone. In 2019 the river was designated an Ohio Water Trail, and its lower half is now a National Water Trail. Roughly 25 of the river's 100 miles flow through the park on their way north to Lake Erie, which lies about 22 miles north of the park.
Today visitors can explore the river by paddle along the Cuyahoga River Water Trail. Beside the water, the Towpath Trail follows the historic route of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and walkers and cyclists share its path. Fishing is part of the river's story too, and a longtime angler who grew up fishing the Cuyahoga describes how its health has changed over the decades.
