The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which is also known as the clean water act, was originally posed and drafted in the year 1948.

Over the years there have been many amendments and alterations to address more specific issues as our society grows and our industry flourishes.

 

When it was first introduced, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act designated that each state had the responsibility of finding ways to reduce or eliminate pollution, leaving the responsibility of joining forces with local or federal agencies in order to best accomplish the task in the hands of the state agencies.

The act was passed to start improving the level of awareness within communities, industries, and governmental agencies.

 

The initial draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act indicated that throughout the necessary improvements that were to be made, conservation and specialized segregation of the various water uses. Conservation of waters for aquatic ecosystems, agriculture, recreational purposes, as well as industry needs were indicated as a necessary focal point for the act.

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Water conservation practices were put into place to be sure that public water supplies were not only available but that the public water supply was sanitary. This act was the first real effort to improve the quality of drinking water, protect the sanctity of natural ecosystems, and attempt to incorporate the needs of industry all in the same act.

While the ideas and motivations behind the original Federal Water Pollution Control Act were of the best intentions, the limitations set were not stringent enough to prevent further pollution from entering all the water sources.

One of the main focuses of the original draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act was the appropriate treatment of raw sewage. The bacteria from raw sewage entering the waterways can lead to a vast array of potential diseases.

Raw sewage from land based buildings, institutions, and towns were once permitted to flow directly into the nearest body of water. While these issues were dealt with in the original draft of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, raw sewage discharge from pleasure boats was not officially outlawed until the 1990s. Discharging is still permitted 5 or more miles offshore.

Aside from raw sewage issues, the clean water act also attempted to deal with the contamination of waterways incurred when industries disposed of wastes via the closest body of water. With the enhanced development of industry it didn’t take long for natural bodies of water to become overwhelmed with pollutants.

Because industry developed faster than the agencies could keep up with the environmental impact, the environment as well as the ground water supply was affected for the long term.

Tainted ground water meant that the pollution that was found in the waterways was now being found in drinking water of families throughout the country. The potential for serious illness was great and the current trend of bottled water dispensers and water filters was unheard of.

This situation led to a more aggressive stand on the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The first changes came with the amendments to the act, allowing for quality testing of ground water, pollution testing for all bodies of water, and the development of standards and the determination of allowable discharges.

In early December of 1970 an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act created the governmental agency known as the EPA.

The Environmental Protection Agency replaced the Federal Water Quality Administration to take on all issues of pollution and issues related to the health and wellbeing of environmental factors. The EPA has become the single most vital agency when it comes to preventing and correcting all issues of pollution.

Since its inception the Federal Water Pollution Control Act has been amended to include studies of pollution effects on the Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, and the shores of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Amendments were made to check the pollution levels of the waterway against the pollution levels in the sediment.

Because of all of these amendments the information that has been gathered over the past 6 decades has opened up a wealth of information on how pollution works and its overall impact on the environment and drinking water. These various studies were the backbone of all of the basic information that we know today about pollution.

Passing the clean water act not only educated the appropriate agencies in the United States about the serious implications of pollution, but that education has been able to be taken around the world to help people in other countries find clean water management skills.

While there is still a great deal of pollution to deal with in the United States, the chronic efforts of the EPA and adjoining agencies continue to combat the pollutant wars. With more education and a renewed dedication to cleaning up our polluted waters, the clean water act has the potential to continue to grow and continue to develop new laws that benefit the planet.