The Clean Water act is a foundational federal law in governing water pollution in the United States. This act plays a major role in addressing and regulating discharges of pollutants into Lake Michigan and the rest of the Great Lakes. The Clean Water act was first proposed in 1948 and was referred to as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. In 1972, the act was refined, enlarged and renamed to the Clean Water Act. The CWA is a product of traditional government.
The Environmental Protection Agency plays an active role in implementation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act made it illegal to discharge pollutants from point sources into navigable waters without a permit. Point sources are direct sources of pollution. An example of a point source could be a company dumping their toxic waste from production. In spite of these types of situations, the EPA developed a policy of enforcement with regard to discharge of pollutants. The "National Pollution Discharge Elimination System" is the EPA's program of controlling discharges.
From 1948 to 1972, public awareness increased for pollution control. However, it was not until 1972 to that legitimate amendments were passed to govern pollution of our navigable waters. In 1972, a general framework was created to regulate pollutant discharges. The EPA was put in charge of implementing of programs to ensure that regulation is successful. In addition, water quality standards were set for surface waters. Sewage treatment plants were a result of the enactment of the CWA. When the act was first established, it did not address non-point sources of pollution. However, it caused awareness of these sources to grow. It recognized that planning needed to be done to address these non-point sources of pollution.
Since 1972, many laws have changed certain components of the CWA. An example of this is Title I of the Great Lakes Critical Programs act of 1990. This law required the EPA to address 29 toxic pollutants. It established maximum levels for these pollutants with regard to safety for humans, aquatic life and wildlife.
Within the last year, the Obama administration declared an expansion of the Clean Water Act. This expansion is known as the Clean Water Rule. The Clean Water Rule specifies which rivers, streams, wetlands and ponds can be covered by the clean water act. This addition to the CWA will benefit bodies of water such as the great lakes as it will help address pollution in non-point sources. Runoff due to agricultural processes is a primary example. Naturally, in the wake of this addition, there was s opposition from the agriculture sector who claim that this expansion of the CWA will result in economic drawback and increased costs for farmers.
The Clean Water Act is the foundation of addressing water quality in the United States. The federal government is a main actor with respect to the CWA as it was developed as a law by traditional government. The EPA is another main actor as they oversee implementation of specific projects under the CWA. The general public plays a role as we must do our duty to follow the guidelines that the act has enforced. This includes and is not limited to businesses, industry, and anyone who resides in the United States. The Clean Water Act has had a major impact on our Great Lakes thus far. As we move forward, the CWA will only continue to advance as non-point source pollutants become more of a focus.
Sources:
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/05/27/epa-expands-clean-water-regulations
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act
I think the role the general public plays in addressing issues with non-point source pollution are super important. We can educate ourselves and make adjustments in our day-to-day actions/routines, so as to implement change. For example, don't put the feces of your beloved pet into the gutter to later be washed into storm drains leading to our lakes, rivers, etc., according to the WI DNR. There are also a bunch of other great tips on lowering your contribution to non-point source pollution following their link: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/nonpoint/whatyoucando.html
ReplyDeleteAs far as the clean water act goes i almost find it impossib;e to create a law that would make a change in non-point source pollutants. I say this because it is obviously aware that it is extremley difficult to locate the direct source. As far as agriculture goes, i think the government could help subsidise the farmers to relandscape their farms if located near a body of water to prevent fertilizers and other chemicals from entering the water supply. For example, planting vegetation along the rivers would help seep in the toxins and there are also multiple other strategies that can be done to deminish this problem. I personally feel that Milwaukee should invest in a better project other than the deep tunnel project to prevent raw sewage from running off into lake Michigan. Our county's infrastructure is going to hell in a hand basket and we could create many jobs if we could engineer proper solutions in combating polluted water and make water cleaner for the whole state. To be honest i have been fly fishing since i was young and i have never eaten a fish from any river or lake in Wisconsin, due to the high levels of pcbs and mercury in the fish. I have eaten fish in the upper peninsula but im not sure how clean those waters are to be quit frank. Other than tha very insightful article!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the clean water act goes i almost find it impossib;e to create a law that would make a change in non-point source pollutants. I say this because it is obviously aware that it is extremley difficult to locate the direct source. As far as agriculture goes, i think the government could help subsidise the farmers to relandscape their farms if located near a body of water to prevent fertilizers and other chemicals from entering the water supply. For example, planting vegetation along the rivers would help seep in the toxins and there are also multiple other strategies that can be done to deminish this problem. I personally feel that Milwaukee should invest in a better project other than the deep tunnel project to prevent raw sewage from running off into lake Michigan. Our county's infrastructure is going to hell in a hand basket and we could create many jobs if we could engineer proper solutions in combating polluted water and make water cleaner for the whole state. To be honest i have been fly fishing since i was young and i have never eaten a fish from any river or lake in Wisconsin, due to the high levels of pcbs and mercury in the fish. I have eaten fish in the upper peninsula but im not sure how clean those waters are to be quit frank. Other than tha very insightful article!
ReplyDelete