The “Clean Water Act” legislation passed in 1970s by US
Congress was a great mile stone in the field of water pollution throughout the
country. I was very impressed after looking at the objectives under CWA. It
focuses on restoring the chemical, physical and biological integrity of nation’s
water sources by exercising on both point and non-point water pollution
sources. The Clean Water Act abandoned the approach lead by state and other
local governments which were preliminarily responsible for ensuring water quality.
It introduced new technique of dealing with water pollution
by setting water quality criteria, water quality standard and policy
implementation for all the states.
After twenty-five years, the Act continues to provide a
clear path for clean water and a solid foundation for an effective national
water program. Today, two-thirds of our waters are safe for swimming and
recreational activities, the loss of wetlands is only 70,000-90,000 acres, the
amount of soil loss to agricultural runoff has been cut by a billion tons
annually and modern wastewater treatment facilities serve 173 million people.
Again it encourages and ensures healthy tap water
consumption all over the nation.
I felt the same sense of satisfaction over the fact that the Clean Water Act is in place and that we have confidence in that 2/3 pass standards. My only concern is that 1/3 still doesn't pass the standards. Sometimes this is like seeing the glass "half empty" instead of looking at the strides, but clean water is a right for everyone and I worry about that 1/3 who aren't getting it.
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