Federal Government Issue on Clean Water Act

2770, which was passed by the Senate on November 2, 1971. It was an effluent-limitation-driven broadcast based on ecological principles. This was followed in 1972 by heyday H. R. 11896, which was based on water quality.

Congress passed the conference enunciate for the Federal Water taint Control Act Amendments of 1972 on October 4. Nixon delayed signing the bill and vetoed the legislation, but Congress overrode the veto, and it at last became law on October 18, 1972 (Richman, 1999, p. 4). The law created the National Pollutant Discharge excreting System (NPDES) permit program, requiring states to establish total maximum day by day loads for pollutants in their waters and best available engine room standards for industry, required an upgrade for municipal wastewater facilities from primary to lower-ranking discourse, created a national pretreatment program, and authorized $18 zillion in grants for municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure over a 3-year period.

The CWA was modified in 1977 to encourage states to accept NPDES program deputation and manage the Construction Grants Program, and to expand the EPA's ability to control the set down of toxic pollutants into collection systems and surface water. In the four years after the CWA was enacted, Congress appropriated $18 billion for the program, $9 billion of which was provided in the fiscal year 1976, and consequently, the number of wastewater plants with secondary treatment grew by more than 58 percent from 19

Richman, M. (1999). Clearing the way for clean water. lendable at: http://www.wef.org/docs/cwhistory.

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The federal government outlined 111 action mechanism items including the following: a national survey of mercury and new(prenominal) contaminant levels in lean and shellfish; develop a Contaminated Sediment Strategy; develop a nationwide consistent process for measuring water quality; computer storage studies to improve the understanding of the health effects associated with exposure to contaminants in fish; develop methods of disseminating materials on the hazards of eating contaminated fish and shellfish; devise a Beach Environment Assessment, windup and Health Action Plan; devise plans for nationally evasive beach quality standards; provide for local and regional drink water assessment; increase maintenance of forest roads and trails to protect water quality; accelerate cleanup of watersheds touch on by abandoned mines; and a host of other measures aimed at reducing water pollution, and cleaning up that which already exists (Clean Water, 1999, pp. 1-13).

The advise of the CWA was to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. The programs have resulted in significant reductions in the discharge of toxic and organic pollutants into waterbodies. In 1992 60 percent of U. S. waters met the designated-use goals of the CWA as opposed to 36 percent in 1972, in part because, from 1972 to 1992, wastewater treatment facilities discharged 37 percent fewer pollutants into waterbodies, while handling 28 percent more pollutants (Richman, 1999, p. 6). In the same period, 98 percent of river miles and 96 percent of lake acreage remained the same or improved, according to the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administration (Richman, 1999, p. 1). Cleaner waters have triggered an economical revival in cities nationwide. Improvements in dissolved oxygen levels, reductions in toxic pollutants and algal blooms
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