The Clean Water Act of 1948 & 1972Essay Preview: The Clean Water Act of 1948 & 1972Report this essayAbstractThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the Clean Water Act, its purpose and benefits. Also included in the paper are examples of noticeable improvements made as a result of the CWA.
The Clean Water Act of 1948 & 1972The Clean Water Act was established in 1948 for the purpose of regulating the treatment and discharge of wastewater. The focus of the CWA is to rid the waterways of high levels of pollutants. The groundwater pollution is not necessarily covered under the Clean Water Act as it is covered under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The plight of the CWA is to provide protection for water that becomes polluted by two sources; point and non-point sources. The CWA implemented the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System in order to regulate the sources of pollution such as industrial facilities. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012)
There are 6 provisions made possible by the CWA. The first major provision of the CWA was the Research and related programs which authorized the use of pollution control programs as well as grants. The second provision put in place by the CWA was the use of grants for the purpose of assisting municipalities in their expansion of sewage treatments plants. Enforcements and high level standards of maintenance, the third provision, defined the guidelines, criteria for the quality of water as well as the enforcement of fines for those breaking the CWA regulations. The fourth provision installed by the CWA was the use of permits and licenses for the purpose of providing affirmation that the states must certify that the discharges authorized by their respective permits do not in any way violate the standards of quality. The fifth provision was put in place to allow citizens to file grievances or lawsuits as well as the protection around whistleblowing when employees feel the need to report obstructions made by their employers. The final provision is the established water pollution fund that is controlled by the State. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012)
The CWA was implemented in order to stop the dumping that was taking place in the nations harbor. Upon initial installment of the CWA, it was initially termed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act until significant reorganization occurred in 1972. After 1972, the name became Clean Water Act following the 1972 amendments. The permit program was recognized as such a huge benefit that it led to the creation of the CWA. The strategic background associated with the implementation of the CWA after 1972 was to ensure that there were regulations in place for handling limitations associated with technology. Anytime the need arose for quality standards to be defined for any particular lake, the permit limitations would become even more strict and defining. In 1987, an amendment was made to the CWA establishing section 319 called Nonpoint Source Management Program for the purpose of ensuring that stronger and better federal leadership
the CWA provided the required flexibility for development of technology to be used to protect the environment, public health, national security, and environment stewardship. In 1996, under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), several major projects were launched on the CWA-V1: The development, evaluation, maintenance and testing of the CWAV1 and its successor, which are considered essential to achieving global water use reduction and adaptation with a water quality standard. The CWA was implemented in a number of projects. As a result, it was recognized as being one of the most effective regulatory solutions to water pollution, which has had very significant success in the U.S. It was a key factor in a national water quality standard that has taken off in various areas of the world for more than 50 years, as well as in nearly every other international standard in this area. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the world’s leading authority in water pollution legislation. The project to test the CWAV1 was an effort that was jointly undertaken in 1993 and 1994 by the Department of Columbia River Basin (CRCB) (U.S.C.R.S.). The CWAV1 was envisioned to be a model project designed by the Department of Columbia River Basin (CRCB) for the implementation of a variety of regulatory actions throughout the nation in accordance with the Clean Water Act of 1974 and Clean Water Act of 1976, respectively. CURRENT SECTIONS The CWA defines the environmental impact of water pollution as those environmental impacts attributable to the release or production of a particular pollutant, primarily hydrocarbons, that are the result of human activity. The CWA defines environmental impacts as those emissions in excess of those that are expected to result under the existing water quality standards as defined in the CWA. The EPA has identified a number of actions planned in conjunction with the CWAV1 to ensure that all aspects of water pollution are properly addressed. These actions will include: establishing a requirement for the CWAV1 to meet certain standards of safe and efficient flow in the waters of U.S. waters, which will occur through a program to develop, implement on a case-by-case basis, and evaluate and determine which standards shall be established; improving coordination between federal, state, and local bodies dealing with all such related issues and ensuring that any federal agency working on the program complies with the terms and conditions established in the permit application; expanding and reducing EPA inspections of water systems at U.S. lakes; and further developing and implementing a plan to establish a regulatory commission to assist in the implementation of EPA water quality laws and to develop processes to enforce water quality rules. EPA is currently constructing the proposed regulations, but is expected to review the plan once it is finalized for implementation. EPA has not begun an environmental review by the beginning of this year (May 18, 2018), and the results of the review will be considered by the agency upon completion of the regulatory review. CURRENT PROCEDURES The EPA established a process in 1993 to ensure that existing regulations were properly and effectively followed through by the agencies and entities who make use of them. In the case of new regulatory initiatives, the EPA will seek the consent of the parties involved, in writing, for a review of the proposed regulations and the potential for future initiatives to incorporate a set of additional relevant agency rules. (1) The EPA has in place process support (or “request”) for the project. The EPA will ask an independent agency for any appropriate review (if any) that is needed. This process will ensure that EPA has the best possible understanding of its concerns and is able to respond fairly and appropriately to the EPA’s requests by providing accurate