The 100-mile Cuyahoga River, though modest in length, had a major impact on the environmental movement after becoming badly polluted by industrial waste and sewage. Floating debris and chemicals near its mouth in Cleveland caught fire many times beginning in 1868, and the fire on June 22, 1969, finally drew national attention. Public outcry helped spur new environmental laws and enforcement agencies, and the resulting Clean Water Act (1972) strengthened protection for rivers across the nation and increased funding for communities to provide safe, clean water. After the 1969 fire, Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes drew media attention to water quality problems. The river's health is now monitored by sampling fish populations and testing the water, local residents plant native trees to restore floodplain forests that cool, slow, and filter water flowing into the river, and the healthier Cuyahoga is now enjoyed by kayakers and other boaters.
