Considering the Clean Water Act

Author(s): Amy Pickle

Published: October 2009

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Initially authorized in response to egregious pollution from wastewater treatment plants and major industrial sources, the Clean Water Act has catalyzed the cleanup of many of our nations’ waters.  The outlook for continuing progress under the Clean Water Act, however, has been diminished in the face of modern pollutants, aging infrastructure, the Act’s limited tools to address nonpoint sources, and increasing stresses from unregulated development, population growth, and climate change.  Concerns about the Clean Water Act limits prompted the Water Environment Federation and Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions along with The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread to convene a facilitated three-day workshop about the state of the Clean Water Act.