TheThe CleanClean WaterWater ActAct ““[N]obody[N]obody cancan bebe inin goodgood healthhealth ifif hehe doesdoes notnot havehave allall thethe time,time, freshfresh air,air, sunshine,sunshine, andand goodgood water.water.”” --Flying Hawk, Oglala Sioux Chief TopicsTopics II WillWill CoverCover •• FederalFederal andand StateState regulationregulation ofof waterwater pollutionpollution beforebefore thethe CleanClean WaterWater ActAct –– MinimalMinimal FederalFederal InterventionIntervention –– StateState ControlControl andand thethe ““RaceRace toto thethe BottomBottom”” •• TheThe CleanClean WaterWater ActAct ofof 19721972 –– EliminateEliminate directdirect dischargesdischarges intointo ““waterswaters ofof thethe UnitedUnited StatesStates”” –– ProtectProtect publiclypublicly ownedowned sewersewer systemssystems –– ProtectProtect wetlandswetlands –– EnforcementEnforcement mechanismsmechanisms forfor thethe aboveabove areasareas MINIMALMINIMAL FEDERALFEDERAL INVOLVEMENTINVOLVEMENT ANDAND STATESTATE PRIMACYPRIMACY MinimalMinimal FederalFederal InvolvementInvolvement •• TheThe RiversRivers andand HarborsHarbors ActAct ofof 18991899 (RHA)(RHA) – Concerned mostly about navigation. – Section 13 prohibited the discharge of refuse into navigable waters or the deposit of such materials onto their banks unless the Secretary of the Army grants a permit to do so. – Regulates dredging, filling, and activities that might alter the course, condition, and location of navigable waters. StateState PrimacyPrimacy •• MostMost statestate waterwater pollutionpollution statutesstatutes inin earlyearly 1900s1900s focusedfocused onon controllingcontrolling dischargesdischarges ofof humanhuman waste,waste, whichwhich waswas thethe causecause ofof mostmost waterbornewaterborne illnessillness •• StatesStates regulatedregulated mostlymostly withwith narrativenarrative waterwater qualityquality standardsstandards INCREASED,INCREASED, BUTBUT HESITANT,HESITANT, FEDERALFEDERAL INVOLVEMENTINVOLVEMENT POSTPOST WWIIWWII MoreMore FederalFederal InvolvementInvolvement •• FederalFederal WaterWater PollutionPollution ControlControl ActAct ofof 1948,1948, amendedamended inin 1961,1961, 19651965 (FWPCA)(FWPCA) – State primacy with federal assistance from US Surgeon General to set standards and find ways to treat wastes “that are not susceptible to known effective methods of treatment” – Surgeon General eventually replaced by Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare – 1965 amendments created water quality criteria created between federal government and state; federal enforcement allowed but only after lengthy administrative proceedings for “abatement” MoreMore FederalFederal InvolvementInvolvement •• WaterWater PollutionPollution ControlControl ActAct ofof 19561956 – State primacy with federal assistance from Surgeon General, Public Health Service, and Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to promote interstate compacts between states to control water pollution. Also allowed SG to issue grants to states for sewer treatment facilities •• CleanClean WaterWater RestorationRestoration ActAct ofof 19661966 – Provided federal assistance to states to promulgate rules for wetlands •• WaterWater QualityQuality ImprovementImprovement ActAct ofof 19701970 – Sought to regulate oil pollution on ocean waters and made polluters liable to the US for up to $8 million for clean-up costs BUT THIS APPROACH DID NOT WORK Photo of Cuyahoga River (1969) after it caught on fire. (http://www.jcu.edu/chemistry/naosmm/2007/11031952Fire.jpg) MAJORMAJOR FEDERALFEDERAL INVOLVEMENTINVOLVEMENT ANDAND STATESTATE DELEGATIONDELEGATION MajorMajor FederalFederal InvolvementInvolvement •• WhyWhy wouldwould thethe federalfederal governmentgovernment taketake controlcontrol overover environmentalenvironmental lawlaw issues?issues? –– ““TragedyTragedy ofof thethe CommonsCommons”” –– ““RaceRace toto thethe BottomBottom”” •• InterstateInterstate naturenature ofof waterwater andand waterwater pollutionpollution TheThe CleanClean WaterWater ActAct ofof 19721972 •• ““TheThe objectiveobjective ofof [the[the CWA]CWA] isis toto restorerestore andand maintainmaintain thethe chemical,chemical, physical,physical, andand biologicalbiological integrityintegrity ofof thethe Nation'sNation's waters.waters.”” 3333 U.S.C.U.S.C. §§ 1251(a).1251(a). PurposePurpose ofof thethe CWACWA •• “In order to achieve this objective it is hereby declared that, consistent with the provisions of [the CWA]-- – it is the national goal that the discharge of pollutants into the navigable waters be eliminated by 1985; – it is the national goal that wherever attainable, an interim goal of water quality which provides for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provides for recreation in and on the water be achieved by July 1, 1983; – it is the national policy that the discharge of toxic pollutants in toxic amounts be prohibited; – it is the national policy that programs for the control of nonpoint sources of pollution be developed and implemented in an expeditious manner so as to enable the goals of this chapter to be met through the control of both point and nonpoint sources of pollution.” MajorMajor PartsParts ofof CWACWA •• CongressCongress triedtried toto achieveachieve itsits loftylofty goalsgoals inin threethree ways:ways: –– TryTry toto eliminate/reduceeliminate/reduce dischargesdischarges ofof pollutantspollutants intointo ““waterswaters ofof thethe UnitedUnited StatesStates”” throughthrough useuse ofof permitspermits andand waterwater qualityquality standardsstandards –– ProtectProtect publiclypublicly ownedowned sewersewer systemssystems –– RegulateRegulate wetlandswetlands PARTPART I:I: DEALINGDEALING WITHWITH DISCHARGESDISCHARGES INTOINTO WATERSWATERS OFOF THETHE U.S.U.S. DischargesDischarges intointo waterswaters ofof thethe UnitedUnited StatesStates •• TheThe CWACWA mademade itit illegalillegal to:to: –– DischargeDischarge –– AA pollutantpollutant –– IntoInto waterswaters ofof thethe UnitedUnited StatesStates –– FromFrom aa pointpoint sourcesource –– WithoutWithout aa permitpermit •• Permits are FEDERAL, but administration of program can be delegated to states with Federal veto power over permitting decisions DefinitionsDefinitions •• TheThe termterm "discharge"discharge”” meansmeans ““anyany additionaddition”” •• TheThe termterm ““AdditionAddition”” isis notnot defineddefined inin thethe statutestatute butbut takestakes itsits ““plainplain meaningmeaning”” (i.e.(i.e. ““toto combinecombine””).). •• TheThe termterm "pollutant""pollutant" meansmeans dredgeddredged spoil,spoil, solidsolid waste,waste, incineratorincinerator residue,residue, sewage,sewage, garbage,garbage, sewagesewage sludge,sludge, munitions,munitions, chemicalchemical wastes,wastes, biologicalbiological materials,materials, radioactiveradioactive materials,materials, heat,heat, wreckedwrecked oror discardeddiscarded equipment,equipment, rock,rock, sand,sand, cellarcellar dirtdirt andand industrial,industrial, municipal,municipal, andand agriculturalagricultural wastewaste dischargeddischarged intointo water.water. DefinitionsDefinitions •• TheThe termterm "navigable"navigable waters"waters" meansmeans thethe waterswaters ofof thethe UnitedUnited States,States, includingincluding thethe territorialterritorial seas.seas. – We used to know what this meant before Rapanos DefinitionsDefinitions •• TheThe termterm "point"point source"source" meansmeans anyany discernible,discernible, confinedconfined andand discretediscrete conveyance,conveyance, includingincluding butbut notnot limitedlimited toto anyany pipe,pipe, ditch,ditch, channel,channel, tunnel,tunnel, conduit,conduit, well,well, discretediscrete fissure,fissure, container,container, rollingrolling stock,stock, concentratedconcentrated animalanimal feedingfeeding operation,operation, oror vesselvessel oror otherother floatingfloating craft,craft, fromfrom whichwhich pollutantspollutants areare oror maymay bebe discharged.discharged. ThisThis termterm doesdoes notnot includeinclude agriculturalagricultural stormwaterstormwater dischargesdischarges andand returnreturn flowsflows fromfrom irrigatedirrigated agriculture.agriculture. DefinitionsDefinitions •• ““NonpointNonpoint SourceSource”” isis aa sourcesource ofof waterwater pollutionpollution withoutwithout aa singlesingle pointpoint ofof origin.origin. –– AgricultureAgriculture runoffrunoff –– UrbanUrban runoffrunoff SettingSetting WQSWQS •• StatesStates mustmust designatedesignate aa useuse forfor eacheach waterwater bodybody oror segmentsegment ofof thethe waterwater bodybody – Public water supplies – Propagation of fish and wildlife – Recreation – Agriculture – Industry •• TheThe goalgoal ofof thethe CWACWA isis toto makemake EVERYEVERY navigablenavigable bodybody ofof waterwater ““fishablefishable andand swimmableswimmable”” SettingSetting WQSWQS •• OnceOnce statesstates establishestablish thethe designateddesignated use,use, theythey mustmust alsoalso determinedetermine thethe criteriacriteria toto establishestablish thethe maximummaximum amountamount ofof pollutantspollutants toto bebe dischargeddischarged intointo aa specificspecific segmentsegment ofof waterwater toto attainattain thethe designateddesignated useuse •• TheseThese determinationsdeterminations maymay bebe inin eithereither narrativenarrative oror numericalnumerical •• EPAEPA maymay eithereither acceptaccept oror rejectreject thesethese criteriacriteria – If EPA rejects them, EPA will set them WQSWQS •• StatesStates mustmust testtest thethe waterwater periodicallyperiodically