Science

Vintage photos taken by the EPA reveal what American cities looked like before pollution was regulated

James Pasley

Updated

2024-04-22T19:50:00Z

Smog over Denver in 1974. Bill Wunsch/The Denver Post/Getty Images

Before President Nixon created the EPA in 1970, water and air pollution weren't federally regulated.
In the 1970s, the EPA enlisted 100 photographers to document environmental conditions in the US.
The result was 81,000 photos, often filled with smoke, smog, acid, oil, trash, and sewage.

Don't let the soft, sepia tones fool you — the United States used to be dangerously polluted.

Before President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, the environment and its well-being was not a federal priority.

In the early 1970s, the EPA launched the "The Documerica Project," which leveraged 100 freelance photographers to document what the US looked like. By 1974, they had taken 81,000 photos. The National Archives digitized nearly 16,000 and made them available online.

Many of the photos were taken before water and air pollution were fully regulated. The Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, and the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972.

This Earth Day, we've selected 35 of the photos to reflect on how cities across the US have changed — Baltimore, Birmingham, Cleveland, Delaware, Denver, Kansas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco all feature here, in shots filled with smoke, smog, acid, oil, trash, and sewage.

None of the photos we've selected are pretty, but it's worth remembering what US cities used to be like before we cared what we put into the air, soil, and water.

In Baltimore, trash and tires cover the shore at Middle Branch beside the harbor in 1973.

Trash and Old Tires Litter the Shore at the Middle Branch of Baltimore Harbor, 01/1973. — Trash and old tires on the shore of Baltimore Harbor. Jim Pickerell/EPA

The EPA regulates waste now, and sets criteria for landfills. While the open dumping of waste is banned, it still happens.

Baltimore City did have some simple techniques to keep the harbor clean.

A SCREEN PLACED ACROSS JONES FALLS TRAPS TRASH AND KEEPS IT OUT OF BALTIMORE HARBOR. ALTHOUGH NOT FOOLPROOF-A HEAVY RAIN CAN BREAK THE SCREEN-IT IS EFFECTIVE WHEN CLEANED REGULARLY — Jones Falls, near Baltimore Harbor. Jim Pickerell/EPA

Here, a screen has been placed across the water to trap trash. A heavy rain could break it, but it was effective when cleaned often.

In Birmingham in 1972, a boy throws a Frisbee against hazy skies.

TOSSING A FRISBEE ON A SMOKE-FILLED STREET IN NORTH BIRMINGHAM, MOST HEAVILY POLLUTED AREA OF THE CITY — North Birmingham was the most heavily polluted area in the city. LeRoy Woodson/EPA

Truckers in the 1960s called Birmingham "smoke city," Bham Now reported.

A house in North Birmingham is barely visible in industrial smog coming from the North Birmingham Pipe Plant.

Industrial Smog Blacks Out Homes Adjacent to North Birmingham Pipe Plant, this is the Most Heavily Polluted Area of the City — North Birmingham in 1972. LeRoy Woodson/EPA

North Birmingham was the most polluted area of the city.

In Cleveland, in 1973, billowing smoke casts a gloom over the Clark Avenue bridge.

Clark Avenue and Clark Avenue Bridge. Looking East from West 13th Street, Are Obscured by Smoke from Heavy Industry, 07/1973. — Clark Avenue Bridge in Cleveland in 1973. Frank Aleksandrowicz/EPA

Because Cleveland was an industrial city, the pollution was severe.

Cleveland's inner city was also a dumping ground.

EMPTY LOT IN CLEVELAND INNER CITY, ON SUPERIOR AVENUE, BECOMES A DUMPING GROUND — Superior Avenue, Cleveland. Frank Aleksandrowicz/EPA

In this photo from 1973, an empty lot on Superior Avenue, Cleveland, was filled with trash.

In Delaware, the city incinerator billows out smoke over the river.

CITY INCINERATOR ON THE DELAWARE RIVER — Delaware City's incinerator on the river. Dick Swanson/EPA

In 2016, a report released by New York University said 41 people living in Delaware still die because of air pollution every year, The News Journal reported.

In Denver, murky light brown sewage is discharged into the South Platte River.

THE DENVER METRO SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT DISCHARGES INTO THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER — Sewage discharged into the South Platte River. Bruce McAllister/EPA

The sewage came from the Metro Sewage Treatment Plant, per the EPA.

Here's a billboard against Denver's smoky skies in the 1970s. The city was known for having a brown cloud of pollution.

A billboard in Denver. Bill Gillette/EPA

In the late 1980s, the air pollution got so bad, the city developed a visibility standard — it asked whether downtown workers could see mountains that were only 35 miles away, The New York Times reported.

In Kansas City's harbor, on the Missouri River, a local EPA worker points out a dying fish.

LOCAL EPA WORKER ON A FIELD TRIP POINTS OUT A DYING FISH AT THE INNER CITY VIADUCT AREA JOINING KANSAS CITY, KS, AND KANSAS CITY, MO — A local EPA worker points out a dying fish in Kansas City. Kenneth Paik/EPA

While the river has been much cleaner since the Clean Water Act was passed, trash and industrial contaminants still end up in it, The Kansas City Star reported. In 2023, NPR reported that volunteers with Missouri River Relief have picked up more than 2 million pounds of trash from the river since the organization began in 2001.

In Los Angeles, the outline of the sun can be clearly seen because air pollution creates a buffer.

Los Angeles sun above a railroad near the Salton Sea. Charles O'Rear/Documerica

In 1943, 30 years before this photo was taken, the smog was so bad, the city's residents thought there was a gas attack, according to the California Sun.

Los Angeles county monitored pollution on the roads, at least.

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DEPARTMENT OFFICERS CHECKING FOR VIOLATORS ON HIGHWAY — Air pollution control department. Gene Daniels / EPA

In this photo from 1972, the air-pollution control department checks for violators.

In New Orleans, fumes spread over the streets.

New Orleans KAISER ALUMINUM PLANT SMOKESTACK SPREADS FUMES ABOVE ST CLAUDE AVENUE IN THE CHALMETTE SECTION — Kaiser Aluminum Plant's smokestack blows out fumes over New Orleans. John Messina / EPA

Fumes billow from Kaiser Aluminum Plant's smoke stack in 1973.

In an illegal dump in New Orleans, garbage turned to sludge when a lake overflowed into it.

New Orleans, LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN SPILLS OVER ONTO ILLEGAL DUMPING GROUND THE LAKE IS OVER FULL FROM HEAVY RAINS AND WATER DIVERTED FROM THE FLOODING MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY THE OPENING OF THE BONNET CARRE SPILLWAY — New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain. John Messina / EPA

In the 1970s, the EPA found 66 pollutants in the city's drinking water. And the city's water is known for its oily taste, per The Washington Post.

In New Jersey, a photo shows raw and partially digested sewage.

INDUSTRIAL CONTAMINATION OF THE ARTHUR KILL RIVER AT BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY IN THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA. RIVERS IN THE REGION CARRY RAW AND PARTIALLY DIGESTED SEWAGE, AND CHEMICAL AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES INTO THE WATERS OF THE BIGHT. ACCUMULATION OF THESE WASTES INTO THE WATERS BORDERING THE BIGHT PRESENT ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL STRESSES TO ITS ENVIRONMENT — Sewage in Bayonne. Alexander Hope / EPA

The sewage was photographed darkening the water in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1974.

New York is one of the most photographed cities for "The Documerica Project."

Illegal Dumping Area off the New Jersey Turnpike, Facing Manhattan Across the Hudson River. Nearby, to the South, Is the Landfill Area of the Proposed Liberty State Park, 03/1973. — Illegal dumping area off the New Jersey Turnpike. Gary Miller / EPA

Here, a pile of illegally dumped trash ruins the view of Manhattan and the Twin Towers in 1973.

A photographer snapped this image of an abandoned, waterlogged car in Jamaica Bay, New York.

An abandoned car sits in Jamaica Bay in New York City in 1973. Landfills and auto salvage yards fall under the EPA's regulations now, though improper disposal still occurs. — An abandoned car in Jamaica Bay in New York City. Arthur Tress/Documerica The

The abandoned Beetle was photographed in 1973.

Another car has sunk halfway into the beach at Breezy Point, south of Jamaica Bay.

All kinds of trash used to be dumped outside New York City, like this car at Breezy Point, south of Jamaica Bay. The EPA helped institute regulations for how the city disposed of trash to prevent dumping in the Atlantic. — A car dumped at Breezy Point, south of Jamaica Bay. Arthur Tress / Documerica

The EPA now helps regulate how the city disposes of trash to prevent dumping in the Atlantic.

Though it might not be clear, this is the George Washington Bridge going over the Hudson River, covered in thick smog.

The George Washington Bridge in Heavy Smog. View toward the New Jersey Side of the Hudson River. — The George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River. Chester Higgins / EPA

In 1965, a study by New York City Council found breathing New York's air had the same effect as smoking two packets of cigarettes a day, The New York Times reported.

Seen here is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by oil. It was the result of one of 300 oil spills in the first six months of 1973.

An oil slick surrounding the Statue of Liberty. Chester Higgins / Documerica

Between April and June of that year, 487,000 gallons of oil were dispersed in the New York Harbor and its tributaries, The New York Times reported.

The EPA estimated about 6 million gallons of coal were dumped into the New York Bight by the Edison Power Plant in Manhattan in the early 1970s.

CONSOLIDATED EDISON POWER PLANT IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK. IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT ALL ITS PLANTS DUMP SOME SIX MILLION GALLONS PER YEAR OF RESIDUAL COAL INTO THE NEW YORK BIGHT. STRESS FACTORS GENERATED ON THE BIGHT INCLUDE AIR AND WATER POLLUTION DESTRUCTION OF WETLANDS WHICH ARE NURSERIES FOR MARINE LIFE COASTAL OVER-DEVELOPMENT, AND OCEAN DUMPING OF MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES — Edison Power Plant in Manhattan. Alexander Hope / EPA

The New York Bight is a triangular area that reaches from Cape May in New Jersey to the eastern tip of Long Island. The city allowed a ConEd plant to burn coal in the 1970s amid a fuel shortage, The New York Times reported. But coal has caused air and water pollution and destroyed wetlands, according to the National Archives.

Barges, filled with New York's waste, are pulled down the East River to a Staten Island landfill.

PART OF THE 26,000 TONS OF SOLID WASTE THAT NEW YORK CITY PRODUCES EACH DAY. TUGS TOW HEAVILY-LADEN BARGES DOWN THE EAST RIVER TO THE OVERFLOWING STATEN ISLAND LANDFILL — Tugs towing barges filled with New York's waste. Gary Miller / EPA

In the 1970s, New York produced 26,000 tons of solid waste every day, according to the National Archives.

Rubble is loaded into barges before being dumped offshore, on a debris dump site, in the New York Bight.

CONSTRUCTION RUBBLE IS LOADED ON BARGES IN THE EAST RIVER IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK. IT WILL BE DUMPED AT A CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS DUMP SITE OFFSHORE IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT. SLUDGE IS DUMPED 12 MILES OFFSHORE, WASTE ACID 15 MILES AND CHEMICAL WASTES 106 MILES. DREDGE SPOILS AND DERELICT VESSELS ALSO ARE DISPOSED OF IN THE BIGHT — Construction rubble loaded onto a barge in the East River. Alexander Hope / EPA

There were different distances for dumping different substances.

This is one of four New York City-owned vessels on its way to dump sludge 12 miles into the bight. In 1973, 5.8 million cubic yards of sludge was dumped, according to the National Archives.

ONE OF FOUR NEW YORK CITY OWNED VESSELS DUMPING SLUDGE INTO WATERS OF THE BIGHT. IN 1973 THERE WERE 5.8 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF SEWAGE SLUDGE DUMPED IN THE BIGHT. THE VOLUME IS EXPECTED TO TRIPLE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. DREDGE SPOILS ARE DUMPED SIX MILES FROM SHORE SLUDGE 12 MILES, WASTE ACID 15 MILES AND CHEMICAL WASTES 106 MILES CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS AND DERELICT VESSELS ALSO ARE DISPOSED OFFSHORE — One of four New York City owned vessels dumping sledge into the Bight. Alexander Hope / EPA

The sludge would settle on the bottom of the ocean, like mud, killing plants, and creating a dead sea, The New York Times reported.

Acid waste lightens the water here. It was also dumped in the New York Bight, 15 miles offshore, and made up 90% of industrial waste dumped in the area.

CLOSEUP OF ACID WASTES DUMPED 15 MILES OFFSHORE IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT. THEY MAKE UP 90 PER CENT OF ALL INDUSTRIAL WASTES DUMPED INTO THE BIGHT. MORE THAN THREE MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF ACID WASTES WERE DUMPED IN THE BIGHT DURING 1974. DREDGE SPOILS ARE DUMPED SIX MILES FROM SHORE, SLUDGE 12 MILES AND CHEMICAL WASTES 106 MILES — Acid waste in the New York Bight. Alexander Hope / EPA

In 1974, more than 3 million tons were dumped in the bight, according to the National Archives.

Some roads in Manhattan, like 108th Street and Lexington Avenue, were covered with piles of trash.

EMPTY LOT STREWN WITH TRASH AT 108TH STREET AND LEXINGTON AVENUE, MANHATTAN — Empty lot strewn with trash. Gary Miller / EPA

A photo shows trash strewn across New York City streets in 1973.

But it was worse in the Bronx. Here, the Bronx's Co-Op City housing development is beside a landfill that was still being used, even though it had exceeded its dumping capacity.

APARTMENTS OF "CO-OP CITY," A VAST HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE BRONX, NOT FAR FROM PELHAM. THESE BUILDINGS STAND ON THE EDGE OF A LANDFILL DUMP, WHERE GARBAGE CONTINUES TO PILE UP ALTHOUGH THE AREA HAS ALREADY EXCEEDED ITS DUMPING CAPACITY — A landfill beside the Bronx, New York. Gary Miller / EPA

If you look closely you can see scavenger birds flying over the trash.

In Philadelphia, the sun is setting, but because of the smog it's hard to tell.

CENTER CITY, PHILADELPHIA AT SUNSET — Philadelphia at sunset. Dick Swanson / EPA

In 2018, a study found the city was becoming more polluted between 2014 and 2016, after several years of decreasing pollution, Philadelphia magazine reported.

In Pittsburgh, thick smoke creates a haze over the city.

SMOKE FROM INDUSTRY CREATES A HAZE WHICH LINGERS OVER THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ON THE HORIZON. IN THE FOREGROUND ON BOTH SIDES OF THE MONONGAHELA RIVER, ARE PLANTS OWNED BY THE JONES AND LAUGHLIN STEEL CORPORATION. THE POLLUTION HAS CONTINUED SINCE THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN. CLEANUP EFFORTS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED AT THE JONES AND LAUGHLIN PLANTS — Smoke over Pittsburgh. John Alexandrowicz / EPA

The city was once called "Hell with the lid off," per The Allegheny Front.

A junkyard looms in front of the Monongahela River, which runs through Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh JUNKYARD ACROSS THE MONONGAHELA RIVER CONTRASTS WITH THE MODERN OFFICE BUILDINGS AND SEEMS TO BRING THE TWO LOCATIONS CLOSER THAN REALITY BECAUSE OF THE USE OF A TELEPHOTO LENS. THE URBAN RENEWAL RENAISSANCE PROGRAM WAS BEGUN IN THE CITY IN THE EARLY 1950'S — A junkyard in front of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. John Alexandrowicz / EPA

According to Mayor Tom Murphy in 2001, the biggest complaint he heard about the city was that it was too dirty, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Near Pittsburgh, oil-coated trees on the shore of the Ohio River show the damage done by spills and industry.

SCENE SHOWING THE HIGH WATER MARK WHICH REVEALS EVIDENCE OF TREES BEING COATED BY OIL ALONG THE SHORE OF THE OHIO RIVER NEAR PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. BOOMS HAVE BEEN PLACED NEAR VARIOUS OUTFALLS TO TRAP POLLUTION WITH OIL ACIDITY CONTENT AND LOW PH — Oil along the shore of the Ohio River, near Pittsburgh. John Alexandrowicz / EPA

NPR reported that the river is much cleaner today, 50 years since the Clean Water Act.

In San Francisco Bay, the Leslie salt ponds gleam at sunset. The ponds were built to extract salt from the bay water. The photographer behind this photo said the "water stinks."

In San Francisco, LESLIE SALT PONDS AT SUNSET. "WATER STINKS," WRITES THE PHOTOGRAPHER ABOUT THIS SCENE — Leslie Salt Ponds in San Francisco. Belinda Rain / EPA

In 2019, the EPA ruled the land, owned by Cargill Salt, was not bound by the Clean Water Act, Mercury News reported.

In San Francisco, industrial black smoke billows out of a stack.

INDUSTRY HAS TAKEN OVER THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FOR ITS OWN PURPOSES — Industry in the San Francisco Bay. Belinda Rain / EPA

During the 1970s, the biggest problem for the city was ozone pollution, which mainly comes from cars, industrial plants, power plants, and refineries.

Here is one of the factories that polluted San Francisco.

MASSIVE CONCENTRATION OF INDUSTRY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS RESULTED IN SEVERE POLLUTION PROBLEMS — Concentration of industry in San Francisco. Belinda Rain / EPA

The photo was taken in 1972, according to the National Archives.

In Washington DC, raw sewage flows out into the Potomac river. In 1970, a hot summer resulted in a "stomach-turning" smell coming from the Potomac, due to the mixing of sewage and algae.

The Goergetown Gap, Through Which Raw Sewage Flows into the Potomac. Watergate Complex in the Rear, 04/1973. — Raw sewage flows through the Georgetown Gap, in 1973. John Neubauer / EPA

The pollution was blamed on a "hundred years of under-estimates, bad decisions, and outright mistakes," a director of the Federal Water Quality Administration told The New York Times.

His description can be applied to a lot of the US before the EPA.

This story was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated.