Visible pollution aside, noise pollution still exists. A boat motor, out of view from the recording location, is heard contaminating the river’s soundscape. Rhythmic sounds of paddles slapping water are masked by constant undesirable noise. A propeller plane can also be heard passing overhead. Dropping hydrophones here allows us to appreciate a rebounding river. At the same time, we are, for the first time, made aware of a hidden threat to wildlife.
Can this section of the river ever be propeller-free? Not likely. It is a shipping channel after all. The local economy depends on goods transported to Lake Erie and beyond. It is, I think, worth contemplating.
Hear more underwater sounds of the Cuyahoga River, recorded in 2017 and 2018, from its headwaters to Lake Erie, here.
