Uploaded November 2012 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
The pollution of our waterways became a national issue in June of 1969, the day that the Cuyahoga River, flowing through Cleveland, Ohio, on its way to Lake Erie, caught on fire because it was so polluted. Although this was not the first time that the Cuyahoga River had been in flames, the 1969 fire caught the attention of the nation and the fight began for increased water pollution controls, which eventually led to the Great Lakes Water Quality Act and Clean Water Act in the 1970s. Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity. Ways that humans have affected the quality of the Great Lakes water over the centuries include sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, runoff from agriculture and urbanization, and air pollution. Water pollution affects the health of the waterway, the health of the organisms living in and around the waterway, and, eventually, the health of humans. The effects of water pollution can range from aquatic deformities to contaminated fish to "dead" lakes. For more information about water pollution, go to the USEPA's Water Quality page at epa.gov/gateway/science/water.html. This is clipped from the 1969 film titled Problems of Conservation -- Water by the Encyclopedia Britannica films. The entire film describes communities and localities which have water supply problems, and shows the pollution of the Great Lakes and other areas. The film inquiries into the problems of water shortage, drought, increased demands and water pollution. The film also shows how drinking water can be obtained from the ocean. The film's director, John Walker was a long-time filmmaker at Encyclopedia Britannica films (EB) whose films bridged the era between the staid, didactic titles of the 1950s, and the exciting new science films in the 1960s. Walker, who made over 80 films for EB. In 1933 Walker was hired by the National Park Service as a motion picture photographer to help film achievements of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He covered over 40,000 miles for the CCC, and was selected to work with ERPI films to develop a series of six films on geology. In 1937, he was permanently hired by ERPI, which soon was absorbed under the Encyclopedia Britannica umbrella. The entire film is available at the US National Archive Motion Picture collection in College Park, Maryland.
The pollution of our waterways became a national issue in June of 1969, the day that the Cuyahoga River, flowing through Cleveland, Ohio, on its way to Lake Erie, caught on fire because it was so polluted. Although this was not the first time that the Cuyahoga River had been in flames, the 1969 fire caught the attention of the nation and the fight began for increased water pollution controls, which eventually led to the Great Lakes Water Quality Act and Clean Water Act in the 1970s. Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity. Ways that humans have affected the quality of the Great Lakes water over the centuries include sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, runoff from agriculture and urbanization, and air pollution. Water pollution affects the health of the waterway, the health of the organisms living in and around the waterway, and, eventually, the health of humans. The effects of water pollution can range from aquatic deformities to contaminated fish to "dead" lakes. For more information about water pollution, go to the USEPA's Water Quality page at epa.gov/gateway/science/water.html. This is clipped from the 1969 film titled Problems of Conservation -- Water by the Encyclopedia Britannica films. The entire film describes communities and localities which have water supply problems, and shows the pollution of the Great Lakes and other areas. The film inquiries into the problems of water shortage, drought, increased demands and water pollution. The film also shows how drinking water can be obtained from the ocean. The film's director, John Walker was a long-time filmmaker at Encyclopedia Britannica films (EB) whose films bridged the era between the staid, didactic titles of the 1950s, and the exciting new science films in the 1960s. Walker, who made over 80 films for EB. In 1933 Walker was hired by the National Park Service as a motion picture photographer to help film achievements of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He covered over 40,000 miles for the CCC, and was selected to work with ERPI films to develop a series of six films on geology. In 1937, he was permanently hired by ERPI, which soon was absorbed under the Encyclopedia Britannica umbrella. The entire film is available at the US National Archive Motion Picture collection in College Park, Maryland.
