Ohio River

Waterways are wonderful places to study humanity. They provide transportation, drinking water, food, and irrigation for our crops. We have also learned to use them to carry away our waste. By building boats of different sizes, we transport people and goods efficiently. Historically, many of our major cities grew along rivers. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Louisville are three well-known cities on the Ohio River, joined by many smaller communities and even a few ghost towns.

With so many cities, industries, and competing uses, managing the nearly 1,000-mile Ohio River could easily become chaotic and lead to endless conflict. Instead, it offers a remarkable example of human cooperation. It is imperfect, but people work together because their survival depends on it.

For several years, I have been photographing the river from its beginning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. Along the way, I have talked with people and come to appreciate their shared dependence on the river. Companies rely on safe navigation to move raw materials and finished products. They also depend on healthy workers who live in strong communities. Those communities rely on flood protection, clean water, and effective sewage treatment. People depend on the river for drinking water, recreation, and the bridges that connect neighboring towns. Towboats can move their cargo safely only when everyone follows the rules of the river.

This photographic essay explores the cooperation that sustains the Ohio River community. It also asks a simple question: If groups with different interests can cooperate within this shared ecosystem, perhaps that same spirit of cooperation can be achieved on even larger scales.