The Clean Water Act: 30 Years

Congressional Record
107th Congress
Second Session
Thursday, October 17, 2002

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, I am pleased to acknowledge progress in the cleanup of our nation's lake and rivers. The goals were ambitious. Congress envisioned a nation of fishable, swimmable rivers and lakes, and zero discharges of harmful pollutants. While we have not reached those goals, the steps we have taken have improved the quality of our water, including the natural, and national, resources embodied in the Great Lakes.

As co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I have worked with other members to pass appropriations and targeted legislation to protect our nation's largest inland body of water. The citizens of Michigan and seven other adjoining states recognize the value of the Great Lakes system to industry, transportation, water resources, and recreation--a vital link in a long chain of waterways that enhance our economy, provide pleasurable pastimes, and protect our health.

That's why I authored the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act in 1990 that amended the Clean Water Act; these changes help states measure and control pollutants discharged into the Great Lakes. My bill helped set uniform, science-based water quality criteria, ensuring that citizens throughout the system share the burdens and benefits of reducing harmful pollutants that can affect human health. It also provided for control and clean up of contaminated sediments that leach into the water, affecting people, fish, and wildlife.

I have helped secure other protections for wild creatures through the Great Lakes Basin Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. This legislation provides a framework and funding for studying and adopting measures to restore healthy fish, bird, and animal populations and to manage fisheries responsibly.

Non-point source pollution–contaminants discharged into water over a broad area–are widely recognized as a major problem. The Great Lakes Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Program will help. This 2002 Farm Bill program provides grants for education on agricultural techniques, such as contoured farming and planting of vegetation along banks, that reduce the runoff of pesticides and other chemicals into streams and rivers.

Other legislation has set standards and enabled technology for reducing soil erosion, controlling sediment runoff, and creating environmental research labs specifically targeting the problems of the Great Lakes.

Even with our successes, however, EPA reports that more than 40 percent of our nation's waterways remain too polluted for fishing, swimming, and other activities. Municipal sewage discharges and urban storm sewers continue to dump massive amounts of pollutants into our water. And more needs to be done in our cities, our industries, and our farms.

Thus the fight for water quality continues. In this Congress, I have introduced legislation to protect Great Lakes waters from invasive species–the zebra mussel, Asian carp, and other intruders that enter U.S. waters through maritime commerce and on the hulls of ships. These intruders can damage ecosystems and wipe out entire populations of native fish.

I have also asked the Senate to consider the Great Lakes Legacy Act. This bill would provide funds for states to clean up and restore areas of special concern, which do not meet the basic water quality standards laid out in a 1972 U.S.-Canada agreement. These areas include some vital passages between the Great Lakes, including Michigan's Detroit and St. Clair Rivers.

Funding water quality management activities and improvements in environmental infrastructure is one of my highest priorities. Even now, Congress is exploring ways to improve funding for the construction of wastewater treatment plants to help control urban sewer and stormwater overflows, a huge source of non-point source pollution.

Even as we implement new measures, the Bush Administration threatens a sweeping dismantlement of existing Clean Water Act safeguards by removing federal oversight, allowing polluters to "buy" credits that would permit the continuation of harmful practices, and reneging on the decades-old commitment to protect the nation's wetlands.

The diligence of Congress, previous Administrations, federal and state agencies, and dedicated citizens helped us pass the Clean Water Act and other tough measures needed to preserve and protect water resources. We must stand guard over these gains and move forward, not backward, with even more effective measures. Clean water is a privilege, a pleasure, and something we can't live without.