Reference

Clean Water Act

Summary

Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act's primary objective is to restore and maintain the integrity of the nation's waters. This objective translates into two fundamental national goals: eliminate the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waters, and achieve water quality levels that are fishable and swimmable.

The Clean Water Act was the first comprehensive national clean water legislation, drafted in response to growing public concern for serious and widespread water pollution. It is the primary federal law that protects the nation’s waters, including lakes, rivers, aquifers and coastal areas.

Main Points

The Clean Water Act focuses on improving the quality of the nation’s waters. It provides a comprehensive framework of standards, technical tools and financial assistance to address the many causes of pollution and poor water quality, including municipal and industrial wastewater discharges, polluted runoff from urban and rural areas, and habitat destruction.

The Clean Water Act:

• Requires major industries to meet performance standards to ensure pollution control
• Charges states and tribes with setting specific water quality criteria appropriate for their waters and developing pollution control programs to meet them
• Provides funding to states and communities to help them meet their clean water infrastructure needs
• Protects valuable wetlands and other aquatic habitats through a permitting process that ensures development and other activities are conducted in an environmentally-sound manner.