By Dawn Kristof
Oct. 18, 2002, marks the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. This landmark environmental legislation was enacted at a time when pollution of the nation's water resources had reached a crisis stage.
The war on water pollution began on June 22, 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Columbus, OH, caught on fire. Record numbers of fish kills were being reported. Millions of acres of shellfishing beds had been closed. A significant percentage of drinking water supplies contained chemicals that exceeded Public Health Service limits. Just a few years prior, in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson had condemned the quality of the Potomac River and pledged "Clean Water by 1975!"
Perhaps the President was being a bit optimistic in thinking that two centuries of neglect could be reversed in 10 years. Nonetheless, Congress took a serious stand and passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, overriding a veto by then-President Richard Nixon.
Congress declared that this Act would have as its goal "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's waters." Fishable and swimmable waters were to be attained by 1983. Discharge of pollutants into navigable waters was to be eliminated by 1985. Discharge of toxic pollutants in toxic amounts was outright prohibited. For the first time, industries and cities had to obtain a federal permit to discharge wastes into waterways.
Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has undergone several modifications and expanded its scope of authority, but its fundamental objectives remain intact. Our degree of success in achieving these objectives is debatable, but progress is evident. River fires are a thing of the past. Fish and other aquatic life have returned to our lakes and streams. Municipal and industrial pollution has abated substantially and most drinking water supplies meet health and safety requirements.
To mark these achievements, a series of events are being scheduled for the month of October to bring national attention to the importance of our water resources. America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) is serving as the primary sponsor and national coordinator of the "Year of Clean Water" as it did in 1992 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
WWEMA is proud to be a sponsoring organization of this year's festivities, which include a national youth watershed summit (Oct. 6-10); a national water monitoring day (Oct. 18); a national seniors watershed summit (Oct. 28-30); and a world watershed summit (Oct. 30-Nov. 1). Details on these and other planned activities can be found at www.yearofcleanwater.org
In our pause to recognize our achievements as an industry and a nation, we must also humbly acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the goals of this Act. Today, 44 percent of the nation's water bodies are still "impaired" by sediments, nutrients and microorganisms. Since 1998, there have been more than 60,000 beach closings. Forty nine states issued 2,618 fish advisories last year, alone. Improvements in monitoring and states' public notification processes can be attributed to these findings, but it is not a record to be proud of.
A recent report issued by the Public Interest Research Group suggests that nearly one-third of the nation's major industrial facilities, municipal sewerage treatment plants and federal installations were in serious violation of the Clean Water Act during the past two years and that one out of every four facilities surveyed were operating on an expired permit (a claim EPA rejects).
The fact remains that great progress has been made during the first three decades of the Clean Water Act to restore our critical water resources, but the job is far from over. The next 10 years is being referred to as the "Decade of Replacement," with hundreds of billions needed to upgrade our aging infrastructure. Providing basic security improvements at our nation's 54,000 drinking water systems and 16,000 wastewater systems is estimated to cost an additional $4 billion. Factor in the challenge of curtailing non-point source pollution - the most pervasive cause of non-attainment with the Clean Water Act . . . and you get the picture!
Let us take this time to recommit our energies and talents to tackling the next decade of water resource management with the same degree of ingenuity and passion that has led us through these first three decades of progress.
Let us also not lose sight of the greater challenge that lies outside our U.S. borders with more than 1.1 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water and more than 2.4 billion people lacking access to adequate sanitation facilities. May we strive as a nation, and as a community of water quality specialists, to find workable solutions to narrow the public health disparity that exists among our global neighbors.
About the author:
Dawn Kristof is president of the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association. WWEMA member companies are among the world's leading producers of technology to the water and wastewater industry, employing 43,000 workers with collective sales nearing $6 billion (USD) worldwide.
