Embattled River

I'm impressed by the depth of this look at the Hudson and modern environmentalism. Beginning during the 1960s, this NE -US river was pointed out to be full of industrial filth and untreated human waste, from all that was poured into it by communities on its banks. Media of the day from New York Times to Sports Illustrated came together to resist new power plants, including pumped storage and nuclear power, and call for those plants sucking in fish eggs and fry with cooling water to be altered. We see that the first Earth Day (and the founding of Greenpeace) in 1970 were wildly popular among those who loved the scenic Hudson, wanted it cleaned and providing a good natural environment, and did not want its valley drowned below yet another power-producing reservoir.

I enjoyed the photos, some showing power plants, others designs of plants, while people and water sports also feature. Particularly nice was 'daylighting' the culverted Saw Mill River at downtown Yonkers. Suddenly downtown had a linear park with a river walk.

Scenic Hudson is a group which has bought up much riverfront property to protect it; now this land is threatened by rising waters and climate change. Consequently the group is planting many trees. Riverkeeper, and the Estuary Program, are also detailed. PCBs were among the toxins released into the river, working their way up the food chain. Nobody had thought of cleaning up the sediment behind the Fort Edward Dam before demolishing it. Hence came the requirement for a Superfund site to clean up the hazardous waste. Next came the potential hazard of crude oil spills.

This is a familiar story, from the Thames in London to Toms River in New Jersey; industry and spreading humanity want the cheapest, easiest way to be rid of waste, so chuck it in the river, regardless of human health or the needs of the natural ecosystem. The river then pollutes the sea, putting yet more livelihoods at risk. Regulation often follows public and media outcry. At the end the author is realistic about how far taxes have to go and how much residents can do. Jobs are a big incentive to ignore pollution.

"Riverkeeper and other organizations have demonstrated, time and again, that some governmental officals, from the EPA and the state DEC to mayors, local councilmen and woman, routinely protect polluters and subvert the public interest."

David Schuyler proposes some measures to safeguard the Hudson - still far from clean - and increase income from the area, for instance by tourism. I think he could have come up with more, but no doubt others are doing that work. I found this book readable, though Americans will be more familiar with the many names and locations given. Paragraphs are often long and packed, so this is not for school age people, but students of journalism, environmental sciences, electricity generation and city planning should put Embattled River high on their to-read list.

Notes P243 - 269 in my e-ARC. I found 30 names which I could be sure were female, increasing as the chapters came more up to date.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

My dad was involved in the environmental movement, and his work overlapped significantly with some of the events recorded in this book. While I found it slightly dense and somewhat academic, this is a really outstanding look at the movement's impact on one crucially important river. As a resident of New York City and a lover of the Hudson, I feel even more strongly about its protection. A good read for those who dig this kind of thing.