THE CLEAN WATER ACT TWENTY YEARS LATER

Abstract

Review by David Councill Environmental Consultant, JDC Consulting, 40 Skyline Drive, Billings, Montana 59105, USA. TEL: 406-252- Robert W. Adler, Jessica C. Landman, and Diane M. Cameron. THE CLEAN WATER ACT TWENTY YEARS LATER. Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1993. 320 p., US$29.95 paper ISBN: 1-55963-266-6. Thirty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson made a pledge of Clean Water by 1975, but it would take several more years and events, including the burning of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, before Congress would take action with the passing of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Now that two decades have passed and the Clean Water Act's fate is being considered by Congress, THE CLEAN WATER ACT TWENTY YEARS LATER reviews the progress the Act has made since 1972 in eliminating water pollution and restoring the aquatic ecosystems. The first part of the book chronicles the development of the Clean Water Act and its goals at the time it was passed. It is interesting to note that a national goal of eliminating the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters was to be accomplished by 1985 ( zero discharge ). Another goal was to have fishable and swimmable waters by 1983. A third goal was to prohibit the discharge of toxic pollutants in toxic amounts. Based on these objectives, the authors present a case for the failure of the Clean Water Act. Twenty years after its inception, pollution still persists, aquatic ecosystems are in jeopardy, and we are still far from meeting the original goals of the Act. The second part of the book assesses the Clean Water Act's programs in detail to determine why the Act has not been successful. One reason is that the law has lacked comprehensive programs to ensure a uniformity of implementation among the individual states. The zero discharge goal has been elusive, and the concept of treating pollution by dilution still remains the predominant treatment method, but the largest problem has been regulating non-point sources of pollution, with agriculture being the leading source of pollutants. In their conclusion, the authors present solutions to get the Clean Water Act back on track. They argue that the solution is stricter enforcement of the Act and amending it to identify and regulate more pollutants, expand water quality standards to include more biological criteria, apply national criteria to ensure uniformity of enforcement among states, and ensure adequate funding for such efforts. The authors, affiliated with the Natural Resources Defense Council, provide a very comprehensive look at the Clean Water Act, including a thorough economic analysis to support the argument for providing increased funding. The reading will be dry and slow for some readers, but at a time when Congress is considering rewriting the Clean Water Act to roll back provisions (the House passed HR961), it is certainly worthwhile. With forty percent of our rivers and lakes still not suitable for drinking, fishing, or swimming, concerned citizens will find this book both scientifically thorough and well researched. I would recommend it to educators, policy analysts, environmentalists, researchers, and other educated readers concerned with