Congress and commonly known as the Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act starts off with a “declaration of goals and policy.” A summary of this
section is in order. The main objective of this Act is stated to be “to restore and
maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” In
order to achieve this, stated goals include the following: (a) discharge of pollutants
into the navigable waters should be eliminated by 1995; (b) an interim goal of water
quality providing for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife
and providing for recreation should be achieved by July 1, 1983; (c) the discharge of
toxic pollutants in toxic amounts should be prohibited; (d) there should be Federal
financial assistance to construct publicly owned treatment works (POTW); (e) to
assure adequate pollution control areawide, waste treatment management processes
should be developed and implemented; and (f) there should be major research and
development to develop the technology necessary to eliminate the discharge of
pollutants.
The successor to the above law was Public Law 95-217, commonly known as the
Clean Water Act. Its main goals were similar to the previous legislation with some
minor modifications in the timetable. Greater emphasis was placed on innovative
and alternative technology, individual wastewater treatment systems, sludge disposal, and energy conservation.
These basic laws have been renewed, frequently postponing deadlines in recognition of the difficulty in obtaining the information needed to carry them out or the
difficulty in enforcing them. Litigation has ensued in both directions: those who
want immediate action and those who want to delay enforcement.
Some additional laws have been passed which impact the aquatic environment.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was designed to control cleanup of
hazardous waste sites, many of which created water pollution problems primarily
through leachate. The Endangered Species Act indirectly affects water resources by
protecting listed species, some of which require both adequate water supplies and
high-quality water. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act controls
the discharge of these materials that enter water bodies primarily from agricultural
runoff. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 is designed to prevent discharge, either as a
waste or from an accident, of oils to the aquatic environment. The Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) supports both waste reduction and waste
elimination. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulates the quality of drinking
water. Details on these and other environmentally related regulations may be
obtained from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) at www.epa.
gov/epahome/laws.htm.
All of the laws and regulations that have been passed and promulgated by the US
EPA and various other agencies have as their goal the protection of the quality of the
water within the USA. To this end, much money and time have been expended.
Some improvement has been seen; however, there are some glaring cases where the
efforts have not been successful. Some of these most likely will be taken care of in a
290
D. B. Aulenbach et al.
Control Act starts off with a “declaration of goals and policy.” A summary of this
section is in order. The main objective of this Act is stated to be “to restore and
maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” In
order to achieve this, stated goals include the following: (a) discharge of pollutants
into the navigable waters should be eliminated by 1995; (b) an interim goal of water
quality providing for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife
and providing for recreation should be achieved by July 1, 1983; (c) the discharge of
toxic pollutants in toxic amounts should be prohibited; (d) there should be Federal
financial assistance to construct publicly owned treatment works (POTW); (e) to
assure adequate pollution control areawide, waste treatment management processes
should be developed and implemented; and (f) there should be major research and
development to develop the technology necessary to eliminate the discharge of
pollutants.
The successor to the above law was Public Law 95-217, commonly known as the
Clean Water Act. Its main goals were similar to the previous legislation with some
minor modifications in the timetable. Greater emphasis was placed on innovative
and alternative technology, individual wastewater treatment systems, sludge disposal, and energy conservation.
These basic laws have been renewed, frequently postponing deadlines in recognition of the difficulty in obtaining the information needed to carry them out or the
difficulty in enforcing them. Litigation has ensued in both directions: those who
want immediate action and those who want to delay enforcement.
Some additional laws have been passed which impact the aquatic environment.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was designed to control cleanup of
hazardous waste sites, many of which created water pollution problems primarily
through leachate. The Endangered Species Act indirectly affects water resources by
protecting listed species, some of which require both adequate water supplies and
high-quality water. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act controls
the discharge of these materials that enter water bodies primarily from agricultural
runoff. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 is designed to prevent discharge, either as a
waste or from an accident, of oils to the aquatic environment. The Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) supports both waste reduction and waste
elimination. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulates the quality of drinking
water. Details on these and other environmentally related regulations may be
obtained from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) at www.epa.
gov/epahome/laws.htm.
All of the laws and regulations that have been passed and promulgated by the US
EPA and various other agencies have as their goal the protection of the quality of the
water within the USA. To this end, much money and time have been expended.
Some improvement has been seen; however, there are some glaring cases where the
efforts have not been successful. Some of these most likely will be taken care of in a
290
D. B. Aulenbach et al.