Explore the Bay Game

1972- Clean Water Act

• Established Water Quality Standards (WQS). WQS include three major components: designated uses, water quality criteria, and antidegradation provisions
• Requires the monitoring of waterbodies to determine whether the WQS are met. Those that meet the WQS employ antidegradation policies to maintain the integrity of the water. Those that fail to meet standards must develop plans for improving water quality
  • Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)- calculated maximum amounts of pollutants that can be released into water, at which the waterbody can still meet WQS. TMDL also allocate how much of the total load may come from each pollutant
• Important parts of the Clean Water Act ("Strategies")
  • NPDES permit program- addresses point sources of pollution
  • Section 319 – addresses nonpoint sources of pollution (such as farming)
  • Section 404- regulates how dredged or fill materials are emptied into waterbodies
  • Section 401- requires federal agencies to obtain certification before issuing permits that will ultimately increase the number of pollutants. If increased loads are expected to cause violations of WQS, the certification will not be issued.
• Was amended in the Clean Water Act of 1977 and the Water Quality Act of 1987
  
  

Source: The Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov)

1987- Section 117

• Added 15 years later, to establish the Chesapeake Bay Program and to set federal water quality policy for states within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Source: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

2009- The Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Act (to be passed 2010/2011)

• Addresses approaches to reduce stormwater pollution
• Triples EPA clean water funding to the Bay states over the next 6 years (some funding must be earned through performance/progress)
• Withdraws funding from states that fail to develop/implement plans that effectively reduce pollution and protect water quality
• Holds federal government to the same standards, requiring that all federal facilities and buildings reduce pollution
• Bans phosphorus in household and industrial detergents and cleaning agents

Source: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation