A City Gone Wrong: The Love Canal Disaster

Who knew that one entrepreneur's crushed dreams could stir the pot for one of the most horrifying environmental tragedies in American history? William T. Love came to the La Salle area of Niagara Falls, New York with the intentions of erecting a community as well as a canal. The community was to benefit from the canal through the production of hydroelectric power, utilizing the neighboring Niagara River. Unfortunately, due to an economic panic at the time, all funding for the project was pulled and Love was forced to completely abandon the project. 

After Mr. Love's tremendous failure, the canal sat idle for some time. At one point becoming a center of amusement for children, then later becoming a dump for the city's waste.

Soon after, the site of the canal was purchased in 1942 by Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation. From the year of purchase to 1953, Hooker chemical was reported to have dumped an immense amount of mixed chemical waste into the canal (22,000+ tons). In 1953, Hooker Chemicals ceased operations. After a run in with the Niagara Falls Board of Education, a threat of eminent domain arose. With this threat, the school board had the right to take away private property for its own public use. Hooker Chemicals sold the canal for a dollar, capped up their dump and headed on their way. 

After the purchase, schools along with housing had been established to accompany the hundreds of families moving into the area.

 

Alas, tragedy struck for those 900+ families. Due to a vast amount of heavy rainfall and snow in the late 1970s, the poorly made Hooker landfill cap begins to weather. Because of this weathering, the 22,000+ tons of mixed chemical waste leaked all over the area and contaminated everything and effecting almost everyone. Of the effects were illnesses, property/environmental damage and a great number of birth defects/miscarriages. 

After an uphill battle between protesters and slow acting New York officials, word finally got through to President Jimmy Carter, who declared a state of emergency on two separate occasions. The first occasion (1978) was to relocate the 239 "at risk" families, and the second occasion (1981) was to relocate the other 700+ families seen as "not so at risk".

eminent domain- the government's right to take away private property for public use (usually involves payment).