Aquatic Ecosystems
Fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, 1952. Photo: Cleveland State University Library.
Our rivers should be fishable and swimmable, not flammable. That was the simple but powerful idea behind the Clean Water Act, even if the link between the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire and the 1972 passage of the CWA is not as strong as is often asserted.
Rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, even groundwater caverns: these diverse water bodies are vital habitat for innumerable species, precious sources of clean water and food, irreplacable stores of culture, and critical balms for our bodies and souls. Yet they are also the recipients of numerous assaults: pollution, invasive species, water depletion, dams and levees, climate change, neglect and loss of memory.
How can we protect and restore aquatic ecosystems – and in doing so protect our human communities and economies? The Clean Water Act is a start, but there is still far to go.
Resources to Understand Aquatic Ecosystems
The protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems is discussed in different contexts in Chapter 8, Chapter 11, and Chapter 15.
For photos related to this topic, see the Photo Gallery.
Aquatic Ecosystems in the News
Promises Betrayed: Trump and the Inflation Reduction Act
Donald Trump's antipathy towards the Inflation Reduction Act - Biden's signature energy/climate legislation - is well known. But it is worth spending a few minutes reading about how Trump's illegal cuts to IRA funding are creating harm on the ground in two of our most...
The Uncertain Future of the Columbia River Treaty
"A Crucial River Treaty is Tangled in Trump's Feud With Canada," The New York Times (gift link) The Columbia River Treaty is an example of the benefits that cooperative management of international river basins can bring. The treaty, in place since 1964, allowed for...
Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Louisiana
“Fighting Louisiana Floodwaters With Patches of Green,” New York Times (gift link) Bioswales and other green stormwater infrastructure can provide multiple benefits, including flood mitigation, water-quality improvement, heat mitigation, and groundwater recharge (less...
Environmental Flows and the Belo Monte Dam
“On a Dammed River, Amazon Villagers Fight to Restore the Flow,” Yale E360. The construction of the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River has devastated the ecology and indigenous communities of the “Volta Grande” (Big Bend); those communities are trying to force...
The First Step in India’s River Linking Project
February 2025: "Why a mega river-linking plan has sparked massive protests in India," BBC. India's long-planned "river interlinking project" would create new dams and aqueducts throughout the country to move water from rivers that are judged to have "excess" water...