Clean Water Act 1

Clean Water Act

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Clean Water Act 2

Introduction:

The Clean Water Act is a statute or collection of laws designed to protect water supplies

and the water itself from contamination in the United States. Water and water supply

contamination has become a major issue in the environmental sector, which is why the

environmental authority decided that it would be best to establish a regulation that would

regulate the waters, their sources, and the whole ecosystem (Gross & Stelcen, 2012). The

Environmental Protection Agency oversees the Act on Clean Water, which is a state or

government-oriented environmental initiative. The Act on Clean Water ensures that the water is

free of contamination and that the chemical composition of the water is maintained. It safeguards

marine creatures' natural habitats, the aesthetic qualities of water, and, most significantly, ensures

that the water ingested is safe and free of toxic bacteria that can cause severe health problems.

Water bodies are indeed facing many threats, but human beings are the primary cause of water

contamination, and as the world's population grows, the number of freshwater supplies

decreases, and more chemicals are generated, it is important to enact legislation to protect natural

resources.

History:

In 1948 The Federal Water Pollution was enacted, and the measure was referred to as the

main or major legislation or act that was put in effect to ensure that the cry over water

degradation or pollution was put to rest. People had accepted contamination of water and other

services as a routine act because they were unaware of the problems that could occur as a result

of polluting water resources (Wenning & Fewell, 2014). They were oblivious to the fact that

clean water existed and how important it was. As a result of this indifference, the government
Clean Water Act 3

decided that it would be best to establish laws that would serve to regulate citizens' pollution

activities. Because of population increases in metropolitan areas and a surge of commercial

businesses exacerbated by World War II, pollution had taken its toll on the water in the United

States by 1948. This act has good ideas, but it failed to produce results because it was poorly

planned. Pollution was barely prohibited by the FWPCA.

Water contamination became more widely recognized in 1972, and the action began to

gain traction. As a result, the act's original name was changed to the "Clean Water Act." There

were changes to the act introduced this year. The first amendment laid the groundwork for

restricting sewage discharge into our waterways. The second amendment empowered the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement pollution-control systems. Standard

provisions for business drainage are an example of the second amendment. The third amendment

aided in the preservation of established water quality and contaminant levels in surface waters.

Anyone that discharges any sewage pollutant into navigable waterways without a valid permit

violates the fourth amendment. The fifth amendment made it possible to construct water

treatment plants. The final amendment, passed in 1972, making it easier to fix and prepare for

nonpoint source emissions problems (Wenning & Fewell, 2014).

The 1972 reforms did not stop there. President Reagan revised the act once more in 1981.

The key goal of this revision was to strengthen the grants process for urban building, which

would result in better treatment plant construction. In 1987, there was also an upgrade to the

grants process. Urban building fund was replaced by state water pollution control funding. This

update aimed to enhance water quality by establishing relationships between the EPA and states.

Other amendments and modifications to the act have occurred over time. For example, Canada
Clean Water Act 4

and the United States signed Critical Programs Act in 1990, promising to eliminate such

chemical contaminants in the Lakes. The EPA was mandated to define water quality standards

and treat 29 chemical substances with the highest degree of protection for wildlife, marine life,

and wildlife under this new legislation (Wenning & Fewell, 2014). Currently, the CWA is in

charge of regulating discharges into US waterways as well as surface water quality levels.

Purposes:

The act was initially passed in 1948, but in 1972 it was greatly revised and reorganized.

The laws, on the other hand, were divided into parts such as 405, 403, and 402. The three

sections of the clean water regulations act as add-ons to other environmental laws, relating to and

supporting them. Initially, section 402 specifies that all building areas larger than one acre or one

acre of land, as well as private, manufacturing, and residential structures that discharge storm

water or wastewater directly from a point source, must obtain authorization guarantee that water

in the country meets those water quality requirements (Schiff, 2014).

Second, section 403 outlines the requirements for ocean discharge, including permit

issuance, waivers, and rules for considering water depletion (Dupuy & Viñuales, 2017). The

section safeguards the territorial sea against toxins that endanger marine life. Finally, section 405

establishes the basis for sewage sludge laws and the treatment of drainage healing phase

residuals. The link between the Clean Water Act and other environmental regulations stems from

their shared objective of providing a clean, healthy, and appropriate atmosphere for all living

beings (Dupuy & Viñuales, 2017).

Goals:
Clean Water Act 5

The main goal of this act is to restore and maintain the quality of the state's waters. The

Clean Water Act seeks to improve the state's water quality. It provides a detailed set of

requirements, technological equipment, and financial support to address a variety of sources of

contamination, including industrial and sewage drainage from urban and rural areas, and habitat

loss.

The Clean Water Act, for example, requires large companies or businesses to follow

efficiency requirements to consider pollution regulation, and it also requires states to propose

clear water eminence conditions appropriate for their rivers (Wenning & Fewell, 2014). It

provides financial assistance to states to help them achieve their sustainable water infrastructure

goals, and it safeguards vital wetlands and aquatic ecosystems through a good system that

ensures construction and other functions are carried out in an friendly manner in that

environment.

Success and Failures:

The Clean Water Act became enacted to deal with a number of the country’s water first-

rate troubles. It advanced positive requirements for water first-rate with inside the United States.

In assessment to the 1970s, approximately two times as many glasses of water are now fishable

and swimmable. Pollution with the shape of radioactive contaminants and dangerous waste has

been decreased dramatically. The Great Lakes, in addition to many different our bodies of water,

had been completely re-energized after the passage of the Clean Water Act (Hawkins, 2015).

Tourism has resulted with the improvement of new jobs in addition to profits. However, there's

nevertheless greater paintings to be done. Nonpoint supply emissions and contaminants, on the

opposite hand, have now no longer been adequately addressed and should consequently be
Clean Water Act 6

decreased. Overall, the Clean Water Act has been a big fulfillment in phrases of environmental

protection. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), two-thirds of the rivers,

the United States were not worthy for fishing or swimming in 1972. However, it appears that

evidently the quantity has been decreased with the aid of using as a minimum a 3rd today.

Around the identical time, analysts and environmental activists declare that the Clean

Water Acts flaws and execution have left the united states with numerous troubles which might

be being resolved too poorly or infrequently. For example, ageing facilities, which consist of

remedy flora and drainage structures that date returned to the 19th century in a few cities, are

turning into an growing risk to water first-rate. Even wastewater remedy flora constructed with

federal investment at some point of the early years of the Clean Water Act want to be upgraded.

The act left a huge part of the main reasserts of pollution, additionally recognized as "nonpoint"

pollution, unaffected.

In conclusion, the Clean Water Act has resulted in a major change in the regulation of

water contamination. Since it has continued to educate the public on the value of keeping water

and the climate safe. As a result, the bill should be introduced in any country across the world, if

at all necessary, since it is the most critical bill for the ecosystem's survival.
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References:

Dupuy, P.-M., & ViñualesJ. E. (2017). International environmental law. Cambridge University

Press.

Gross, J., & Stelcen, K. (2012). Basic Practice Series: Clean Water Act, Second Edition.

Www.americanbar.org. https://www.americanbar.org/products/inv/book/215096/

Hawkins, C. P. (2015). The Clean Water Rule: defining the scope of the Clean Water Act.

Freshwater Science, 34(4), 1585–1587. https://doi.org/10.1086/684005

Schiff, K. (2014). Was the Clean Water Act Effective? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 81(1), 1–2.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.01.053

Wenning, R. J., & Fewell, B. (2014). Sound science and redefining the US clean water act.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 10(3), 321–322.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1549