EPA Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act 2012 OCTOBER 18

By Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Water

I am proud to be at EPA in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the nation’s foremost law for protecting our most irreplaceable resource. I often think about how a generation ago, the American people faced health and environmental threats in their waters that are almost unimaginable today.

Municipal and household wastes flowed untreated into our rivers, lakes and streams. Harmful chemicals were poured into the water from factories, chemical manufacturers, power plants and other facilities. Two-thirds of waterways were unsafe for swimming or fishing. Polluters weren’t held responsible. We lacked the science, technology and funding to address the problems.

Then on October 18, 1972, the Clean Water Act became law.

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Source: It’s Our Environment: EPA’s blog about our world

Location:http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2012/10/cwa40/