The Clean Water Act, which was proposed to maintain and improve the water quality, has undergone some serious changes over the years. In 1972, the CWA was adopted to focus on the pollutants created from manufacturers. Years later, in 1987, the focus shifted to runoff being a significant source of water pollution. In 2018, a new proposal was announced stating that the CWA’s regulations must be enforced. The government should continue to enforce the Clean Water Act regulations on companies to improve water pollution.
The Clean Water Act was originally adopted in 1972 due to increasing concerns for the nation’s water pollution levels (History of the Clean Water). The CWA’s purpose was to focus on the point source-pollution, which is pollution that is caused by the contamination deposited into the water by manufacturers. Under the CWA, companies now had to comply with the permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which regulates the amount of pollutant they are allowed to discard into the water (Holst).
Due to the regulations and permits placed under the CWA, many large exporters had a negative response because they either had to find a new place to dispose the products, or pay large fines for not complying with the CWA (Clean Water Act). For instance, Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation has been charged a significantly large penalty of 8.24 million dollars for not complying with the CWA. The corporation has violated the CWA regulations for over three years, affecting the water pollution in the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas rivers (EHS Today Staff). Many other large manufacturers have had similar issues and attitudes regarding the regulations placed under the CWA.
Although manufacturers may not support the CWA, it did have a positive effect on the nation’s water pollution. This event was likely because the nation was given a basic structure for the nation’s water pollution guidelines, and the EPA was given authority to maintain the nation’s water standards. Correspondingly, the CWA has had a significant impact, prohibiting 700 billion pounds of hazardous substances from being dumped into the nation’s water (Devine). The law has resulted in a significant decrease in water pollution, however much of the nation still needed improvement in the water quality.
Following the Clean Water Act of 1972, the Water Quality Act was adopted in 1987 which redirected the focus of the CWA. The focus shifted from focusing on point source pollution, to non-point sources, which is pollution caused by agricultural factors. The shift was caused by the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which was created to fund projects regarding water pollution. Many of the funds have been used for non-point solution projects (Clean Water Act: A Summary). Before 1987, only one third of the nation’s waters had acceptable water quality, but the passing of the Water Quality Act resulted in better water quality for two thirds of the nation (Wiszniewski).
I have always been concerned with the quality of water in my area for many reasons. For instance, many restaurants serve water from the tap, which means that the water is most likely unfiltered. Many customers, including me, would consume that water and would possibly be intaking the unfiltered chemicals/substances. Not only am I concerned about the water quality in restaurants, but also in my household. The quality of water in my home is not poor, however it does not seem clean enough for me to ingest. Not only do we ingest water, but we also use it for daily tasks such as showering, washing dishes or clothes, or cooking. Water quality is very concerning for me because we use water to complete daily tasks, and it can have a negative impact on our health if the quality is poor.
The Federal Register 2018-13470 proposes that the CWA regulations need to be better enforced amongst manufacturers. The proposal mentions that the president will be more adamant about enforcing regulations (Clean Water Act Hazardous Substances Spill). The CWA has contributed to a significant decrease in water pollution containing toxic substances, therefore the government should continue the CWA. About 80% of Americans support the CWA because it has aided in improving the nation’s water quality dramatically (Clean Water Rule Will Protect).
Although most Americans support the CWA, many business owners and manufacturers were opposed to the act. Owners and manufacturers do not support the CWA because they claim that it leads to a poor economy due to the high costs. Companies have had to lay people off and reduce pay because of the costs of the CWA (Brodwin). Some companies affected by the CWA includes Sierra Pacific Ready Mix, Argent Materials, National Recycling Corporation, and Nor-Cal Rock (which are all located in the Bay Area, specifically Oakland and San Francisco). All companies were fined for not complying with the CWA regulations; the penalty fines ranged from $15,000 to $73,000 (Huitric). These penalties lead to manufacturers being unable to pay for employee costs, thus leading to a poor economy because there are less jobs and lower wages.
The Clean Water Act has had a significantly positive impact on the water quality today. Much of the nation’s water has improved since 1972 because pollutants were prohibited from dumping pollutants in the water. There was an even larger improvement made in 1987, which increased another third of the nation’s water.