The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is a 1977 amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, which set the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants to waters of the United States. The law gave EPA the authority to set effluent standards on an industry basis (technology-based) and continued the requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The CWA makes it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters unless a permit (NPDES) is obtained under the Act. A 1977 amendment focused on toxic pollutants. In 1987, the CWA was reauthorized and again focused on toxic substances, authorized citizen suit provisions, and funded sewage treatment plants (POTW's) under the Construction Grants Program.
The National Environmental Policy Act
This 1969 legislation established a national policy for the environment. It's purposes are "To declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality."
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA)
Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this program addressed nonpoint pollution problems in coastal waters. The code requires the 29 states and territories with approved Coastal Zone Management programs to develop Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Programs.
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