As humans have evolved to use the Adirondack whitewater rivers more readily and have become more conscious of their impact on the environment, national and state legislature have passed laws to protect both people who live in the Adirondack whitewater regions and the rivers themselves. Prior to the mid-1900’s, the whitewater regions in the Adirondacks were relatively unregulated. But with the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1969, state and national legislature have increased regulatory measures on all bodies of water. Now, many law are in place to regulate human use and contamination of the Adirondack waters.
Click here to view an interactive timeline with major legislative measures to regulate water quality and control the Adirondack Rivers since the first movement of environmental activism.