Fascinating Documerica Photo Project Focused on US Pollution in the 1970s

Jun 06, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A split image: on the left, a junkyard with debris and the New York City skyline, including the Twin Towers, in the background; on the right, a man in a tank top and painted jeans holds a small dog. — Left: Illegal dumping area off the New Jersey Turnpike, facing Manhattan across the Hudson River. Right: A hitchhiker with his dog called “Tripper” on U.S. 66 where it crosses the Colorado River at Topock, Arizona. | Photo credits: Gary Miller and Charles O’Rear

In the early 1970s, the United States was facing growing public concern over pollution, environmental degradation, and the future of the natural landscape. In response, the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a wide-ranging photographic initiative known as Documerica, aimed at capturing the state of the American environment and the lives of people affected by it.

Launched in 1972, Documerica brought together more than 100 photographers across the country to document the impact of environmental issues and how they intersected with everyday life. The project was modeled in part after the Farm Security Administration’s photography program during the Great Depression, but with a focus on contemporary environmental and urban challenges.

A large suspension bridge and distant city buildings appear hazy through thick orange smog over a river, with a single sailboat on the water below. — The George Washington Bridge in heavy smog. View toward the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. | Chester Higgins

A low-flying commercial airplane passes over a residential neighborhood with multi-story houses; a yellow "Drive Slow Children" sign is visible in the foreground under a blue sky with scattered clouds. — Approaching Logan airport, Boston. | Michael Philip Manheim

A man sits alone on a subway car covered in colorful graffiti. He is leaning back with his arms crossed, looking thoughtfully out of the frame. The walls are filled with various tags, drawings, and writing. — Subway car, New York. | Erik Calonius

A rusted, partially submerged car sits in shallow water near a sandy shoreline, with distant trees and buildings visible across the water under a hazy sky. — Abandoned car in Jamaica Bay, New York. | Arthur Tress

An older woman with glasses stands in front of a weathered white house, holding a jar filled with dark liquid. She wears a sleeveless patterned dress and has a serious expression. — Mary Workman holds a jar of undrinkable water that comes from her well in Jefferson County, Ohio. She filed a damage suit against the Hanna Coal Company. She has to transport water from a well many miles away. Although the coal company owns all the land around her, and many roads are closed, she refuses to sell. | Erik Calonius

Aerial view of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, surrounded by water with visible ripples and reflections. The horizon and shoreline are visible in the distance under a cloudy sky. — An oil slick surrounds Liberty Island in New York Harbor. | Charles Higgins

A wetland area with tall grasses is littered with various trash and debris, including plastic bags, bottles, and other waste, floating in the water. A distant building is visible on the horizon under a blue sky. — Middletown dump meets the salt marsh, 1973. | Hope Alexander

Two people on motorcycles ride down an empty highway through open countryside, with mountains in the distance and power lines running alongside the road. — Bikers in Colorado, 1972. | Boyd Norton

A woman holds a sign reading "EVEN NUMBERS ONLY" at a crowded 1970s gas station, with vintage cars lined up and various signs and advertisements visible in the background. — Gas shortage due to oil crisis, Portland, OR, 1973. The state of Oregon was the first to go to a system of odd and even numbers during the gasoline crisis in the fall and winter of 1973–74. Here motorists with even-numbered licenses line up for gasoline on an even-numbered day. The plan was in effect Monday through Friday. Anyone could get gas on Saturdays if it was available. All stations were closed on Sundays. | David Falconer

Among the most recognized photographers involved in the project was Danny Lyon, known for his gritty, human-focused approach. Lyon documented communities in Galveston, Texas, where industrial expansion was transforming coastal environments. His work highlighted the social and environmental trade-offs in rapidly changing urban landscapes.

John H. White, another notable contributor, photographed life in Chicago, focusing on the city’s Black communities. While not all of his photos directly addressed environmental issues, they provided a broader picture of American life and the conditions in which many people lived, aligning with the project’s goal of documenting the human side of environmental policy.

Photographer David Hiser captured images from the Four Corners region, including Native American communities and the environmental effects of mining and energy development. His photos emphasized the growing tension between natural resource extraction and preservation.

A man wearing a patterned shirt and large medallion passionately gestures with raised hands while speaking at a podium with microphones. — Jesse Jackson, Chicago, 1973. | John H. White

Yellow wildflowers bloom on a grassy hillside in front of large, weathered sandstone rock formations under a cloudy sky. — Flowers and rock formations in Sarpy Basin, 1973. | Boyd Norton

Cars drive on an industrial road enveloped in thick smoke or steam, with large factories and power lines in the background and a road sign visible in the center of the image. — Air pollution, Cleveland, OH, 1973. | Frank John Aleksandrowicz

A woman waters plants on a high-rise balcony overlooking a cityscape with skyscrapers and busy streets below. The balcony has potted plants, red flooring, and outdoor furniture. — Nature in New York City, 1974. | Suzanne Szasz

Cars are stuck in traffic on a road lined with power lines, with industrial smokestacks in the background releasing thick smoke into a hazy, reddish sky. — Clark Avenue and Clark Avenue Bridge, looking east from West 13th Street, are obscured by smoke from heavy industry, Cleveland, OH. | Frank J. Aleksandrowicz

A busy urban street with cars, trucks, and pedestrians, featuring an elevated train track overhead and people walking on the sidewalk; storefronts and street signs are visible in the background. — 63rd Street, Chicago, 1973. | John H. White

Two young women sit by a riverside; one holds a small object to the other's lips as they both concentrate. Trees and calm water are in the background, creating a peaceful outdoor setting. — Women smoking pot, Texas, 1973. | Marc St. Gil

Three children play in the sand at the beach near the water, while other people swim and stand in the ocean in the background. The sky is overcast and the beach is wet. — Children at a Brooklyn beach, 1974. | Danny Lyon

Aerial view of a city with tall skyscrapers and dense smog, reducing visibility. The streets below show cars in parking lots and on the roads, with buildings clustered closely together. — Heavy smog in Los Angeles, 1973. | Gene Daniels

The photographers were given wide latitude in how they approached their assignments. While some focused on pollution, smog, and waste, others turned their lenses to urban development, public lands, and transportation systems. The goal was not only to show problems but also to present the full range of America’s environmental and social realities.

The photographers themselves received $150 per day, which is equivalent to roughly $1,000 today. However, since the images were part of a federal government project, the photographers had to waive their copyright so that the images could be in the public domain.

By the time the program ended in 1977, the Documerica project had produced over 22,000 photographs. The result was an expansive visual archive that served as both a historical record and a tool for understanding the early days of the U.S. environmental movement.

Many of the images remained relatively obscure for decades, but interest in the collection has grown in recent years. The National Archives now holds and maintains the photographs, some of which have been digitized and made available to the public online.