In 1948, eight states—Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia—signed the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Compact. In The ORSANCO Story: Water Quality Management in the Ohio under an Interstate Compact, published for RFF by The Johns Hopkins Press in 1967, Edward J. Cleary, for nineteen years executive director of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, tells how and why the compact came into being, what it achieved, and what may be learned from its experience in cleaning up a river basin. The following, adapted from the book, describes how ORSANCO won public support. In 1948, less than one percent of the 2,800,000 people living in sewered communities along the banks of the Ohio River had installed facilities for treatment of sewage. The almost universal indifference of communities to safeguarding the quality of their water resources was matched by the disregard of the corporations of the valley of the need to curb discharges of industrial wastes. These conditions could hardly be attributed to the lack of laws or technical know-how; there was an abundance of both. The unrestrained fouling of streams stemmed basically from public indifference. Thus this joint undertaking of the eight states became a crusade to generate support for clean streams —from millions of people and thousands of industries—and with it willingness to pay the price.
The staff began to develop a public-affairs program that could be classified in two broad categories: the "buckshot" campaign embraced components designed to be delivered broadside so as to impinge on anyone who might be within range; the "rifle-shot" procedures were directed toward specific targets. The former campaign used news releases, magazine articles, speeches, radio interviews, appearances on television programs, exhibits, films, and bulletins designed to make people aware of the pollution problem, to define what needed to be done about it, and to specify how it could be accomplished. Pollution control was identified with individual welfare and the slogan, "Clean Waters Protect Your Health—Protect Your Job—Protect Your Happiness" was developed. As time went on, it became clear that an informed citizenry would be ORSANCO strongest ally.
The targets for rifle-shot efforts were specific communities and industries. The staff developed a "Citizens Clean Waters Committee" campaign program to help community groups in the organization and detailed conduct of an intensive campaign to win support for sewage-treatment plant bond issues. One of the services offered was the assistance of a staff member to serve as consultant, aide, and expeditor to the chairman and other members 7 of the committee—a triune role that required considerable finesse. The aid of virtually everyone was enlisted, including local Chambers of Commerce, schools, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. Store windows and libraries displayed exhibits and posters.
One of the most fruitful endeavors of the Commission was the "action" committees formed by management representatives of generic industries—steel, coal, metal finishing, oil refining, chemical, and paper. As a result of these there was a decided change in the general attitude of industry in the Ohio Valley toward the concept of a regional pollution-control program. A liaison group of over two hundred people strategically located throughout the district communicated to all industrial entities both the goals of the interstate program and the means sought for their accomplishment.
As a result of these intensive campaigns, within eight years 3 million people along the Ohio River (85 percent of the population) had supported the crusade by financing with local funds the construction of treatment works. To illustrate the personal sense of responsibility shown by people in the valley, ORSANCO received a letter in 1963, in which the writer stated that he had requested that his last remains be cremated and dispersed into the Ohio River and that he would like to know what liabilities would be incurred by his estate. In replying, the Commission could say only that it had not yet contemplated the promulgation of regulations suited to this situation, but it was gratified that its public-education program had evoked such a conscientious response.
A version of this article appeared in print in the May 1968 issue of Resources magazine.
