Clean Water Act Of 1972

Decent Essays
Problems Addressed by the Statute: The Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) was passed by Congress so that there would be regulatory precedents over water pollution. It was enacted to maintain the natural integrity of water across the United States and to prevent sources of pollution from contaminating water sources themselves. In addition, this act helps maintain the public’s health by preventing gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders that all arise from water contamination. Not unlike the previous acts discussed, the CWA is also managed under the EPA. Before this act was put in place by Congress, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) was the only law in accordance to water pollution; it was passed in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This Act has played a large role in keeping the countries public waters clean and improving the water quality for the public and is one of the biggest environmental laws in the United States. However, the Clean Water Act has not been updated in 25 years, a fact that has caused the act to become somewhat outdated. The issue arises when things such as storm-water pollution and the Act’s jurisdiction comes into play. Many wetlands area and streams are facing degradation due the fact that they are no longer protected under the Clean Water Act.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Furthermore, the pollutant directly enters a traditionally navigable water, Shoshone River. Therefore, ammunition plant violated the CWA because the facility did not obtain a NPDES…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Potomac River Case Study

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Early on, the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant was created and the Clean Water Act of 1972 was passed. The Clean Water Act was amended in1990. The amendment allowed new programs to be created to try and help combat acid rain. More recently, DC has implemented to the Clean River Project.…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine this… muddy water, fish dying, and smelly lakes. Yup. These were the descriptions of the U.S’s waterways before 1972. We were in serious trouble. Some waterways became wasteland of smelly water and floating sludge.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Thus, rather than establishing the categorical ban announced by the Court of Appeals—which might frustrate the construction of new plants that would improve existing conditions—the Clean Water Act vests in the EPA and States broad authority to develop long-range, area-wide programs to alleviate and eliminate existing pollution.” Arkansas v. Oklahoma, 503 U.S. 91, 108 (1992)(emphasis added) (internal citation omitted). Here, the Court is determining if the EPA has authority to regulate interstate water pollution under the Clean Water Act when an upstream polluter releases effluent but the effluent does not further degrade existing water quality standards.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Abstract The basis of this experiment was to test and examine how different contaminants affect ground water. The experiment had interesting results whereby when I filtered vinegar through a media containing dirt resulting material as clean. I report that it surprised me since I did not expect that any of the contaminants used in the experiment would affect water equally the same way it affected vinegar. I had to think critically that the water probably have dirt that has been mixed with the ones that was filtered.…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    According to Life Magazine (1997) “The filtration of drinking water plus the use of chlorine is probably the most significant public health advancement of the millennium” As consumers have started to gain an increased knowledge of the health effects of chlorination, greater requirements and expectations…

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first biological treatment was established around 1887 and it was an intermittent sand filter in the state of Massachusetts. In 1899 the Refuse Act was the first federal regulation of sewage, which prohibited discharge of solids into navigational waters without permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The sewered population kept increasing from late 1800s to 1940s, and there was a development of secondary treatment. Around 1944 the secondary treatment to remove biological oxygen demand (BOD) was developed. By 1948 the government enacted the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), which was based on provision of federal funds for water quality surveys.…

    • 130 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhode Island Issues

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Global warming, pollution, crime, politics, and the economy. These are all examples of problems that every state faces, but there are solutions as well. In this report, I will be talking about 3 issues that Rhode Island is currently dealing with, and some solutions that the government and local people have come up with. I will also explain why these issues are such a big deal, and how they have affected the state.…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alex Silva Clean Water Act Positional Essay Introduction The ongoing debate within the Clean Water Act (CWA) can be narrowed down to the Clean Water Rule (CWR), as it makes amendments to the Act and implements a different way of thinking about our water supply. The Clean Water Act was produced as a means for the EPA to implement pollution control programs alongside setting water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters.…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Clean Water Act

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In his article “Clean Water Act at 45: Despite Success, It’s Under Attack” Jon Devine elucidates the backstory and impediment of a possible future for the Clean Water Act. Devine explains the progress against water pollution that this act has made since it’s implementation in the 1960’s, an act that overruled the industry during that time. This law was the leading pollution prevention program in America in regards to the industry-specific standards. In light of it’s 45th anniversary, Devine discusses the importance of this program as well as the current dangers of being revocation put forth by the Trump Administration. I think a policy that limits the contamination of waterways deserves to stay in action, as I see no logical reason for it to be repealed.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fighting Back Against Water Pollution Water pollution needs to be reviewed as the increase in toxins in possible drinking water has increased in the last 20 years. Through the use of our technology and use alternative renewable energy sources, re-evaluating our usage and methods of disposing waste preserving both fresh and marine water in the United States. A common discrepancy that is brought up when discussing water pollution is whether the cost will become too large to even begin creating change, that the amount of resources required to implement could be used elsewhere for a more immediate impact. The discussion of environmental problems is a topic of many political debates, but throughout the years scientific evidence has documented the…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Water pollution is one of the worst problem society faces today. When vital freshwater is polluted, we endanger humanity’s own existence. Water pollution is an issue that poses an economic and social problem in society’s daily life. Furthermore, the contamination of pristine waterways can be linked to some emergence of new diseases. Yet, most people are oblivious to the problem.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Clean water is a huge aspect of people’s daily lives, as they need…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Doon Valley Summary

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The pollution laws have to be controlled under government or relevant authorities to ensure that all the industries follow right rules and citizens are supplied clean water. However, in India, she expresses that it is not easy to manipulate the polluters due to their economic and political power than ordinary citizens. In another way, the people’s right to have clean water cannot be protected completely by the government. In contrast, the pollution law in the United States is more stringent beginning from 1972 after the fire of contaminated chemical on Cuyahoga River, Ohio. In general, the government has to manage well the water sources by established pollution severed laws and discipline whoever does not follow because everyone has the responsibility to protect clean water to deserve its…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays