Water Pollution: A First Film (Revised)

Complete Record: "A great deal of legislation was enacted in the last decade to protect the environment. For the most part, however, it resulted in a piecemeal approach. Isolated actions taken to solve one problem often produced a series of new problems. With separate agencies at nearly every level of government, there was little recognition of the need for coordinating efforts. The Erie environment looks at an experiment that may be a model of how authority can be shared effectively between state and local powers and of how the environment can be managed on a comprehensive, regional basis. Residents and officials of Erie County, Pennsylvania, first became concerned about the need to revive and protect their environment in the late 1960s, when pollution of Lake Erie threatened the area's fishing and tourist industries. The county Department of Health began an environmental health survey and made numerous recommendations for action, including greater citizen involvement in environmental matters. ..., cont.