Comments on: Celebrate Clean Water! http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/2012/10/celebrate-clean-water/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=celebrate-clean-water EPA's State of the Environment Photo Project Mon, 20 May 2013 09:55:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Andrew B. http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/2012/10/celebrate-clean-water/comment-page-1/#comment-292 Andrew B. Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:22:37 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/?p=2404#comment-292 For 40 years, the Clean Water Act has had a goal to clean up all of our Nation’s waters and return them to a fishable and swimmable condition. While it may not have made “all” of the waters fishable and swimmable, it has had a huge impact on the water quality in the United States, and continues to clean up our waterways. In my hometown of South Bend, IN I have heard elderly people talk about how the river through our town used to be so polluted that fish rotted on the shores and emitted a stench in the summer that could be smelled from miles away. After the Clean Water Act was enacted, the St. Joe River slowly but surely made a recovery. Today, that river that used to be choked with pollution, is now a thriving fishery, a recreational attraction, and one of my favorite places to spend time kayaking and fishing. This story is a common theme throughout the nation. Waters like the Cuyahoga River that famously caught fire, and spurred on legislative action, are now in full recovery and in a condition that was unimaginable before the Clean Water Act.

As we celebrate the Clean Water Act’s 40th anniversary, we should be proud of our Nation’s commitment to clean water and the effectiveness of our water quality programs. However, now that we have accomplished 2/3 of what we set out to do (making all waters fishable and swimmable), it might be time think about what we need to clean up that final 1/3 of US waters. As we look towards the future of water quality in the US, it seems necessary that the Water Quality Act be given updated tools to meet its original goals and also address new water quality problems. For example, the Clean Water Act strictly regulates point source pollutants, but non-point sources of water pollution are largely going unchecked. This contributes to nutrient pollution problems which are widespread across the US. By revising the Clean Water Act to address current and future needs we will continue the legacy of the original law and allow the nation to forge a strong path to clean and healthy waters.

]]> By: orif http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/2012/10/celebrate-clean-water/comment-page-1/#comment-288 orif Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:47:10 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/?p=2404#comment-288 Every day U S water going to be better in the world

]]> By: Vijverpompen In Almere http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/2012/10/celebrate-clean-water/comment-page-1/#comment-287 Vijverpompen In Almere Sat, 20 Oct 2012 06:46:43 +0000 http://blog.epa.gov/epplocations/?p=2404#comment-287 Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I really feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic.

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