Happy birthday U.S. EPA: A list of the agency’s five largest accomplishments for water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrated its 54th birthday on December 2, 2024.
The EPA officially opened its doors on December 2, 1970.
Pressure mounted on policy makers throughout the 1950’s and 60’s in the United States as the public began to grow concerned about pollution and the environment.
On July 9, 1970, President Richard Nixon proposed a reorganization that would house environmental responsibilities of the U.S. under one roof – the EPA.
EPA’s five most influential accomplishments for water
1. The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted in 1972 and became effective on October 18, 1972. It became one of the first environmental laws enacted by the agency.
The law was originally enacted in 1948 and was known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act but was rewritten in 1978.
The CWA’s primary objective is to restore and maintain public waters in the U.S. The CWA recognizes that it is the state’s responsibility to address pollution and provides assistance in doing so.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that all water with a “continuous surface connection” to “navigable waters” are covered under the CWA.
2. Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) became effective on December 16, 1974.
The SDWA has become the primary federal law intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. The law applies to all public water systems in the country but does not cover private wells or bottled water.
The SDWA requires the EPA to establish National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) for contaminants in drinking water.
Regulations include Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs).
The most recent MCL came on April 10, 2024, when the EPA released its final rule on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
3. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
The CWA introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) which is a permit system for regulating point sources of pollution.
Through the NPDES, the EPA issues permits that sets limits on how much pollution can be discharged into U.S. bodies of water.
The primary goal of the NPDES is to reduce industrial, agricultural and municipal pollution into lakes, rivers and streams.
4. Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) was created by the 1996 amendments made to the CWA.
The DWSRF provides low-interest loans to water systems to make infrastructure or management improvements or to help systems assess and protect their source water.
5. Clean Water State Revolving Fund
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) was created by the 1987 amendments to the CWA.
The CWSRF provides low-interest loans to states and local governments to finance wastewater treatment, stormwater management and nonpoint source pollution control projects.
The goal of the CWSRF is to help fund infrastructure projects and improve water quality and wastewater treatment across the country.
Honorable mention: Water Quality Indicators
The EPA’s Water Quality Indicators (WQI) is a screening tool that allows users to identify pollutant hotspots based on water quality monitoring data form the U.S. Water Quality Portal.
WQI allows analysts to use large datasets to identify where water pollution hotspots occur.
The WQI tool features an interactive map that allows users to look at WQI monitoring stations across the country.
Prior to this technology, there was no easy way to visualize where high pollutant readings appear in U.S. waterbodies.
