Happy 30th anniversary to the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act, implemented just 30 years ago, deals mainly with discharge permits of corporations, water quality standards, oversees special problems such as oil spills, and national effluent standards. It also played a key role in protecting our countries wetlands. In 1972 two-thirds of our nations' water was unfit for swimming and fishing and the Act was ambitious in aspiring that by 1983 all of the nations waterways would be safe. While this number has decreased there remains serious threats to our waterways.

Now, on the thirty-year anniversary of the Clean Water Act, we need to reflect on the current issues and challenges that still face us concerning the quality of our nation's water. There has been a proposed cut in the sewage and wastewater cleanup program by both the EPA and President Bush even with a current report indicating that 45 percent of our nations water are unsuitable for swimming and fishing and a proposal for an increase in just under three times the funding of this program by both the House and Senate.

We have a right to clean water and cannot allow the government to overlook the Clean Water Act in light of current issues. I'm sure we have all witnessed advisories warning the public not to eat fish at a given time, witnessed algal buildup, and heard about the damaging effects of urban and agricultural runoff and occurrences of combined sewage overflow during heavy rains. This demonstrates our need to persevere to achieve better water quality nationwide.

We have yet to meet our goal of having swimable and fishable waterways, which is currently set at 2010 in Massachusetts, home of the second most polluted waterways in the United States. The CWA goal is to "...restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters" (Section 101) and we must not lose sight or compromise this goal under any circumstances.



Elizabeth Meserve

LA '03