Clean Water Act Celebrates 40th

On Oct. 18, 1972, Congress passed the amendments to the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act,

that became the Clean Water Act.  In short, the law:

• Established the basic structure for regulating pollutants discharges into the waters of the United States.
• Gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry.
• Maintained existing requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters.
• Made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions.
• Funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program.
• Recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by nonpoint source pollution.

The law has revolutionized the handling of pollution in the United States, mostly for the better, but sometimes for the worst.  The law has been very, very good to me and mine.