This volume explores the issues associated with the complex subject of water quality protection in an assessment of the successes and failures of the Clean Water Act over the past twenty years. In addition to examining traditional indicators of water quality, the authors consider how health concerns of the public have been addressed, and present a detailed examination of the ecological health of our waters. Taken together, these measures present a far more complete and balanced picture than raw water quality data alone.
As well as reviewing past effectiveness, the book includes specific recommendations for the reauthorization of the Act, which is to be considered by Congress in 1995. This balanced and insightful account will surely shape the debate among legislative and policy experts and citizen activists at all levels who are concerned with issues of water quality.
Contents
Acknowledgments Preface - Why a Book on the Clean Water Act?
PART I. A Clean Water Retrospective Chapter 1. The Need for Clean Water Chapter 2. The State of Our Waters Twenty Years Later Chapter 3. The Economics of Clean Water
PART II. Assessing Clean Water Act Programs Chapter 4. The Need for Improved Standards, Monitoring, and Communication Chapter 5. The Elusive Zero Discharge Goal Chapter 6. Virtually Nonexistent Poison Runoff Controls Chapter 7. Protection for Aquatic Resources and Ecosystems Chapter 8. A National Agenda for Clean Water
