Excerpt
Americans can take pride in the progress made in restoring the nation's waters since World War II. Indeed, the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972 was a key milestone in that great undertaking. By any number of measures—pounds of pollution abated, stream segments improved, fisheries restored—tremendous reductions by large municipal and industrial dischargers, commonly referred to as point sources, were achieved. Lake Erie, once a dying lake, is now home to a world-class Walleye fishery. The once dirty Potomac River now provides wonderful recreational opportunities for boating, fishing, and wind surfing. According to recent studies, the nation is approaching “no net loss” of wetlands through a combination of regulatory, voluntary, and incentive-based programs.
Yet, the news is not all good. As reported by state water programs for year 2000, approximately 45 percent of waters assessed are not clean enough to meet basic uses such as fishing and swimming, uses which are at the heart of water quality standards. Thirty-nine percent of assessed rivers, streams, and lakes are not safe for fish consumption.
Further improvements in water quality will be very difficult because the remaining sources of …
Footnotes
G. Tracy Mehan, III former assistant administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Currently, a Principal with The Cadmus Group, Inc., an environmental consulting firm, in Arlington, Virginia.
- Copyright 2004 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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