Earth Day and one of the first environmental laws passed in the United States.
For #EarthDay today, Susan discusses one of the first environmental laws passed in the United States, the regulation of hydraulic mining in California.
Hydraulic mining involved using large high-pressure water cannons to wash away hill sides looking for gold veins in quartz. Although it was successful in extracting gold, the widespread use of hydraulic mining resulted in extensive environmental damage, which resulted in increased flooding and erosion. These problems led to the Sawyer decision in 1884.
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