<P> The Lower Fox was developed instead as a center of riverfront industry . During the mid-19th century, when Wisconsin was a leading producer of wheat, several flour mills were built along the river to harness its abundant water power . During the 1860s, as Wisconsin's wheat production declined, these flour mills were replaced by a growing number of paper mills, which processed the great amount of timber being harvested from the forests . The Lower Fox proved an ideal location for paper production, owing to its proximity to lumbering areas that could supply wood pulp to make paper . Several well - known paper companies were founded in cities along the river, including Kimberly - Clark, Northern Paper Mills (makers of Quilted Northern), and the Hoberg Paper Company (manufacturer of Charmin). </P> <P> The Lower Fox remains a major area for paper production . There are 24 paper and pulp mills along the Lower Fox River that produce more than five million tons of paper per year and employ around 50,000 people . The principal cities located in this valley are Green Bay, Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, De Pere, and Kaukauna . Although Oshkosh is a major city in the chain, active production of paper products is no longer located there . </P> <P> In the section between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay at Lake Michigan, the Fox River flows roughly south to north and descends through a height equal to that of Niagara Falls . As such, the Fox River was an ideal location for constructing powerful saw mills that made the Fox River area famous for its paper industry . A negative side effect of this industrialization was the dumping of hazardous material byproducts of the paper mills . It was soon after this started that dumping became illegal . While evidence of these waste deposits remains to date, the Fox River is being cleaned up . Dredging of the chemicals in the river began on April 28, 2009 and capping started soon after during the summer of 2009, and continues in 2013 . </P> <P> The high concentration of paper mills and other industry along the Lower Fox has historically been the source of much pollution of the river . Public debate about this contamination began as early as 1923, but little was done to improve the river until the federal Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 . Much effort has since been put into cleaning the Fox, but problems still exist . According to some measures of pollution (e.g. dissolved oxygen, pollution - tolerant worm counts), the Lower Fox River is much cleaner than it was before 1972 . However, according to other measures of pollution (e.g., phosphorus, estrogenic compounds, discarded pharmaceuticals), the river waters are slightly more contaminated than before 1972 . As a result, debate over the river's contamination continues between environmentalists, the paper industry, Indian tribes, and elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels . </P>

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