I. Water Quality
E. Federal and state regulations
affecting water quality
Objectives:
Whereas,
Wherefore,
etc
.
Principle of water regulation.
 List and describe federal and state
regulations concerning water quality.
 Distinguish between technologybased and water-quality-based
standards.

Principle of Regulation
“non-degradation” principle - no
waters should be degraded more
than what they currently are.
 Pollution - anything put in stream can
cause deterioration of water and
affect the final use of the stream.

Criteria vs. Standards
Criteria - quality based on scientific
determination.
 Identification - analytical methodology
 Standards - definition of acceptable
quality related to unique local situation
involving political, economic and
social factors.
 Long-term monitoring.

Effluent Standards
-technology based standards
Conventional pollutants vs. nonconventional pollutants
 BAT (Best Available Technology) vs.
BCT (Best Conventional Technology)
 Enforcement - National Pollution
Discharge Elimination Systems
(NPDES), section 402 of Clean Water
Act 72.

Stream standards
-water quality based
standards
Degradation of water quality occurs
even when effluents with technology
based standards are still going to
exceed the assimilative capacity of
receiving water.
 Water quality based standards - Total
Maximum Daily Load (enforcement
via. NPDES)

Federal and state regulations:
Water Quality Act of ‘65.
 National Environmental Policy Act (‘69).
 Water Pollution Control Act (‘48 - ‘72).
 ‘72 Clean Water Act.
 Safe Drinking Water Act (‘74, ‘86).
 Water Quality Act (‘87).
 IL Groundwater Protection Act (‘87).

Water Quality Act of 1965:
This established water quality
standards for interstate waters.
 This as well as other prior legislation
was based primarily on issues of
commerce (interstate, international
trade).

National Environmental
Policy Act (1969):

The 1969 National Environmental
Policy Act established the National
Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA).
– The creation of the EPA increased the
separation of water quality programs
from other water programs.
Water Pollution Control Act:
The Water Pollution Control Act of 1948
was amended from ‘56 to ‘72 to fund
response to water pollution issues.
 Funding rose from $50 million in ‘66 to
$1.25 billion by ‘72 (Clean Water Act).
 Unfortunately, much of this legislation
lacked enforceability.

The 1972 Clean Water Act:

National goals
– Eliminate the discharge of pollutants
into navigable waters by 1985 - Zero
charge.
– Interim water quality level that would
achieve “fishable/swimmable” uses.
– Prohibit the discharge of toxic
pollutants
The 1972 Clean Water Act:

The Clean Water Act combined
construction of treatment facilities
with enforcement procedures to
ensure compliance with established
standards for navigable waters.
The Clean Water Act and the
1987 Water Quality Act:
The Clean Water Act was revised in 1977
to give states primary responsibility for
water quality and water use.
 The Clean Water Act was re-authorized
again in 1987 as the Water Quality Act
and revised to include control of
non-point sources of pollution.

1990 Oil Pollution Control Act
1969-’75 - Intl. Commission on Civil
Liability for Oil Pollution Damage.
 1971-’78 - International Fund for
Compensation established.
 1990 - in response to the Exxon
Valdez spill, OPA enacted.

– Extended current CWA spill provisions.
– Created new section on liability and
compensation.
Other legislation related to
water quality
Toxic Substances Control Act (1976).
 Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (1976).
 Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or
Superfund).

The Safe Drinking Water Act:
Established in 1974 to insure uniform
safety and quality of drinking water by
identifying contaminants and establishing maximum acceptable levels.
 Revised in 1986 to focus more closely
on groundwater protection. Criminal
penalties were also established for
violations.

The Safe Drinking Water Act

Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL’s)
were initially (‘74) set for only a few
parameters (bacteria, chemicals, etc.)
– 1986 amendments provided for eighty-three
primary contaminants by 1989 and addition
of twenty-five more every three years.
– 1996 amendments provided for “right to
know” public notification of contaminants.
The Illinois Groundwater
Protection Act (IGPA):
Established in 1987, this Act was
designed to provide for a
comprehensive program for protection
of groundwater in Illinois.
 One of Illinois primary problems for
groundwater contamination is leaking
underground storage tanks (LUST).

Groundwater quality
classification:
Class I (drinking)
 Class II (irrigation)
 Class III (fish, aquatic life, livestock)
 Class IV (industrial)
 Class V (geothermal)
 Class VI (unsuitable or unusable)

Surface water quality
classification:
Class AA, A (drinking)
 Class B (bathing and swimming)
 Class C (fish propagation and
fishing)
 Class D (fish survival)

Summary:
Primary federal legislation affecting
water quality and treatment include the
Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking
Water Act.
 Two approaches to establishing
standards for water quality include
Technology-based and Water Qualitybased standards.
