Abstract:
Pollution of the Pigeon River began in 1908 when a paper mill in Canton began dumping waste materials into it. Pollution became so bad that Tennessee sued North Carolina to force a solution. In the 1980s, the EPA intervened and gave the paper mill a timetable and a clear set of rules for cleaning up its discharge. Once considered a sewage ditch, the river is now on the rebound, and the improved water quality has encouraged biologists to reintroduce native aquatic species.