Cover Page MENU Table of Contents Introduction The Early Years, 1864-1918 Defining The System, 1919-1932 The New Deal Years, 1933-1941 The Poverty Years, 1942-1956 Questions of Resource Management, 1957-1963 The Ecological Revolution, 1964-1969 Transformation and Expansion, 1970-1980 A System Threatened, 1981-1992 Appendix: Summaries of Lengthy Documents About the Editor		The Critical Documents Appendix: Summaries of Lengthy Documents FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT, 1972 FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT (CLEAN WATER ACT OF 1972) (PL 92-500, 86 Stat. 816) This act firmly establishes federal regulation of the nation's waters, and contains provisions designed to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters." The act requires that the states set and enforce water quality standards to meet EPA minimum guidelines. It establishes effluent limitations for point sources of pollution, requires a permit for point source discharge of pollutants (through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System), requires a permit for discharge of dredged or fill material, and authorizes a "National Wetlands Inventory." Recent changes brought about by the 1987 Federal Water Quality Act place greater emphasis on toxicological-based criteria and in-site biological monitoring. (NPS-77 Guideline Summary.) NEXT>About the Editor
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