Ohio EPA Celebrating 40 Years

Water Quality
Since the 1980s, the quality of aquatic life in all of Ohio's large rivers has shown a remarkable improvement.

Since the 1980s, the quality of aquatic life in all of Ohio’s large rivers has shown a remarkable improvement.

Then, only 21 percent of large rivers met water quality standards. Today, 89 percent meet those standards.

Investment in wastewater treatment and improvement in agriculture conservation practices are credited with the turnaround.

When the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught on fire in 1969, Time Magazine had this to say: Some river! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. “Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown,” Cleveland’s citizens joke grimly. “He decays.”

Today, much of the river meets water quality standards and it is a positive element of the downtown Cleveland scene. Boaters and fishermen are common, and bald eagles can be seen in the area. 

The outstanding legacy of public service, professionalism and scientific understanding that typifies Ohio EPA’s roots is still prevalent today.

40 years and moving forward.