Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act of 1972 was passed in October of 1972 when Congress overruled a veto of the bill by President Nixon. Remember when Congress held the president's powers in check?
Anyway, back to the Clean Water Act of 1972.  It was an addition to an existing bill called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act that was created in 1948. Clean water is essential to healthy living both for our natural environment and for our lives. Before the Clean Water Act, only 1/3 of surface water was clean. Unclean water can lead to gastrointestinal disease, reproductive problems and neurological disorders. The Clean Water Act of 1972 regulated the amount of pollution entering the waterways
from industry and agriculture (somewhat) with the initiation of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Through NPDES, every company with point pollution had to request for a permit before polluting our water ways. Point pollution occurs through pipes or other means or points of entry (see diagram below). Non-point sources of pollution are not regulated by the Clean Water Act.  In addition to regulating some major sources of pollution, the Clean Water Act inspired other legislation for clean water. Today 2/3 of our water supply is clean, so clearly more work is needed!
Non-point pollution

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