shoutout to the epa
Vintage Photos Taken By The EPA Reveal What American Cities Looked Like Before Pollution Was Regulated
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.
[Trash and old tires on the shore of Baltimore Harbor. Jim Pickerell/EPA]
In Baltimore, trash and tires cover the shore at Middle Branch beside the harbor in 1973.
The EPA regulates waste now, and sets criteria for landfills. While the open dumping of waste is banned, it still happens.
[North Birmingham in 1972. LeRoy Woodson/EPA]
A house in North Birmingham is barely visible in industrial smog coming from the North Birmingham Pipe Plant.
Truckers in the 1960s called Birmingham "smoke city," Bham Now reported.
[Clark Avenue Bridge in Cleveland in 1973. Frank Aleksandrowicz/EPA]
In Cleveland, in 1973, billowing smoke casts a gloom over the Clark Avenue bridge.
Because Cleveland was an industrial city, the pollution was severe.
[A billboard in Denver. Bill Gillette/EPA]
Here's a billboard against Denver's smoky skies in the 1970s. The city was known for having a brown cloud of pollution.
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.
[A local EPA worker points out a dying fish in Kansas City. Kenneth Paik/EPA]
In Kansas City's harbor, on the Missouri River, a local EPA worker points out a dying fish.
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.
[Los Angeles sun above a railroad near the Salton Sea. Charles O'Rear/Documerica]
In Los Angeles, the outline of the sun can be clearly seen because air pollution creates a buffer.
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.
[An abandoned car in Jamaica Bay in New York City. Arthur Tress/Documerica]
New York is one of the most photographed cities for "The Documerica Project."
A photographer snapped this image of an abandoned, waterlogged car in Jamaica Bay, New York. The abandoned Beetle was photographed in 1973.
[The George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River. Chester Higgins / EPA]
Though it might not be clear, this is the George Washington Bridge going over the Hudson River, covered in thick smog.
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.
To see more photos of what American cities looked like before pollution was regulated, visit Business Insider.
