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An overview of the Clean Water Act. Overview statutes and regulations as well as history.
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The Clean Water Actby Paula K. Worden
for Education 6305 Summer 2010
What is the Clean Water Act (CWA)?
The CWA is the primary federal law governing
water quality in the US
Goal of the CWA is to eliminate the release of highly toxic substances
into America's waterways
= Eliminating Water Pollution
So What Does the CWA Cover?
All waters with a "significant
nexus" to "navigable
waters"
What does that mean?
Case Law Says
waters of the United States, including the territorial seas
What does that mean?
Intermittent Streams
a stream that only flows for part of the year
Playa
a desert basin with no outlet
which periodically fills
with water to form a
temporary lake
Lakes
Prairie Potholes
a small wetland that
can be found in the grasslands of central
North America
Sloughs
A slough is a low-lying area of land that channels water through the Everglades
Wetlands
A wetland is an area of land in which soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally
Streams & Rivers
Oceans
So the CWA covers just about anything with water.
What kind of pollution does it regulate?
Point Sources
Pollution that can be traced to a definitive source
Like What?Industries & Manufacturing
Mining
Acid Mine Drainage
Oil & Gas Extraction
Agricultural Runoff
The CWA Also Covers Nonpoint Sources
Nonpoint sources of pollution are toxic substances and the origin is almost
impossible to trace
Like What?
Stormwater Runoff
Municipal Wastewater
How does the CWA protect against pollution?
Through permits & water quality standards
What are Water Quality Standards?
Rules set by states (approved by EPA) that determine the levels of pollution that
go into bodies of water (sewage, stormwater, etc.)
How do states determine how much pollution a body of water can take?
Each stream has a designated usage
Like Recreation
Water Supply
Aquatic Life
Agriculture
What happens if a body of water does not meet
Water Quality Standards?
Placed on the 303(d) list
What happens if a body of water does not meet
Water Quality Standards?
What happens if a body of water does not meet
Water Quality Standards?
Placed on the 303(d) list
TMDL
303(d) Listthe section of law covering bodies of water that do
not meet Water Quality Standards
What is a TMDL?
= Total Maximum Daily Load The equation that says how much pollution can go into a stream everyday
So Why does the US have a Clean Water Act?
=A series of environmental disasters in the
late 60’s and early 70’s
In 1969, bacteria levels in the Hudson River were at 170 times the safe limit
The FDA reported in
February 1971 that 87 percent
of swordfish samples had mercury at
levels that were unfit for human consumption.
Cuyahoga River Catches Fire
Near Cleveland, OH, a floating oil slick burst into flames
1969 Lake Thonotosassa Fish Kill
26 million killed in Lake Thonotosassa, FL, due to discharges from four food processing plants
By 1972 two-thirds of the country's lakes, rivers and coastal waters had become unsafe for fishing or
swimming. Untreated sewage was being dumped into open water.
Does the Clean Water Act Work?Even after 30 years of regulation, water pollution is still a big problem in the U.S. Today, 39% of the rivers, 45% of the lakes, and 51% of the estuaries monitored are contaminated
Clean Water Successes?
In 1997, (The 25th Anniversary of the CWA) more than 60 percent of the nation's waters now support
fishing and other uses, and while the U.S. population grew considerably since 1972, modern wastewater
treatment facilities helped pollutant levels in the nation's waters fall 36 percent.
But we still have a long way to go!
References:1. How Did the Clean Water Act Get Started http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/stuwork/rockwater/The%20Clean%20Water%20Act/History%20and%20stories.html
2. Wikipedia. The Clean Water Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Water_Act
3. NOW with Bill Moyers. A Brief History of the Clean Water Act.http://www.pbs.org/now/science/cleanwater.html
4. Wikipedia. Mountain Top Removal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaintop_removal_mining
5. Wikipedia. Intermittent Stream. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream
6. Wikipedia. Playa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playa
7. US Forest Service. Wetlands Non-Tidal Marshes: Prairie Potholehttp://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/lotw/wl-pothole.html
8. Wikiapedia. Wetlands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland