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EPA CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLEAN WATER ACT
Release Date: 10/18/2002
Contact Information:
Environmental News
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2002
EPA CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLEAN WATER ACT
Robin Woods 202-564-7841/woods.robin@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman today celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the establishment of National Water Monitoring Day. At the same time, Whitman announced that President George W. Bush today declared Oct. 18, 2002 as the start of the observance of the Year of Clean Water, through a Presidential Proclamation.
Whitman praised the landmark Clean Water Act legislation, enacted 30 years ago on Oct. 18, l972, “Thirty years ago, many of America’s waters had become too dirty for swimming, fishing and drinking. Today, thanks largely to the Clean Water Act, the nation’s waters are once again, safe, healthy and clean. These achievements are unparalleled in the world.”
Whitman celebrated the 30th anniversary in New Jersey with students from Alexander D. Sullivan School, PS #30. The Administrator and students monitored water at Liberty State Park.
Nationally, Oct. 18 marks a milestone in the nation’s efforts to protect and restore valuable water resources. Among the accomplishments under the Clean Water Act:
- the federal government has provided more than $80 billion in wastewater treatment assistance to the states and localities. In 1968, only 86 million people were served by modern sewage treatment. Today of the 207 million people served by wastewater treatment facilities, more than 97 percent (201 million people) are served by secondary or better treatment. These important advances in wastewater treatment constitute one of the major achievements in modern American public health;
- the Clean Water Act permit program has resulted in the reduction of 700 billions of pounds of pollutants no longer discharged into waterways;
- the nation is close to achieving its goal of halting overall wetlands loss;
- in the past decade, the United States has preserved, restored and/or created hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat nationwide as part of the National Estuary Program;
- the nation is using the 30th anniversary as an opportunity to recommit to making all waters fishable and swimmable.
Today also has been designated National Water Monitoring Day to acknowledge the contributions of more than half a million volunteers who regularly monitor water quality. Today, thousands of citizens, students volunteer water monitoring organizations and water professionals from around the country will be monitoring
their local rivers, streams, lakes, bays and wetlands. Additional information on the 30th Anniversary, National Water Monitoring Day, the Year of Clean Water and anniversary activities is available at: https://www.epa.gov/water/yearofcleanwater .
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