Government Initiatives To Combat Water Pollution

Water pollution is a pressing issue that governments worldwide are tackling through various measures. One notable example is the Clean Water Act (CWA) in the United States, which aims to regulate pollutant discharges into waterways and set quality standards for surface waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plays a crucial role in enforcing these standards and identifying high-risk locations for lead contamination. Additionally, the EPA undertakes large-scale watershed restoration efforts and provides funding for projects addressing water pollution. Internationally, the United States has committed billions towards global water security and sanitation, emphasizing the importance of equitable access and climate resilience. Other governments are also addressing water pollution by considering their water footprint, which involves understanding the externalized impact of their consumption patterns on water resources in other countries.

The Clean Water Act (CWA)

Under the CWA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industries. The EPA has also developed national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters. The Act makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters without a permit obtained through the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The NPDES permit program controls discharges and sets technology-based effluent guidelines that establish discharge standards based on available and economically achievable treatment technologies.

The CWA has been amended over the years, including through the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), which provided new requirements for contingency planning by government and industry in the event of oil discharges. OPA 90 also increased penalties for non-compliance, enhanced the federal government's response and enforcement authorities, and preserved state authority in oil spill prevention and response.

The EPA and other federal agencies face challenges in ensuring safe and clean water for the nation, as water quality and safety threats remain. For instance, the discovery of widespread pollution by persistent chemicals called PFAS has raised concerns about human health risks. PFAS, found in household products and food, can accumulate in the body and persist in the environment. The EPA has taken actions to address PFAS, including using the CWA's permitting authorities to reduce PFAS discharges and obtaining monitoring information to inform decisions about restricting releases.

In addition to the CWA, the EPA works under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to establish legally enforceable standards that limit specific contaminants in drinking water. The EPA identifies, monitors, and regulates unregulated contaminants based on their danger to public health and frequency of occurrence.

Watershed restoration

A watershed is a geographical area defined by the natural topography of the land. It is bound by high points such as mountains or ridges, which create a natural boundary for water flow. All the precipitation, including rain and snow, that falls within this defined area eventually drains into a common outlet, usually a river, lake, or ocean.

• Improving water quality: This involves reducing pollution, controlling sedimentation, and addressing nutrient runoff. Environmental engineers play a crucial role in managing water quality by devising strategies to mitigate pollution and ensuring clean and safe water resources.
• Conserving biodiversity: Watershed restoration aims to protect and enhance biodiversity within the ecosystem. This includes restoring habitat diversity, re-establishing critical plant species, creating nesting sites, and ensuring the survival of native species.
• Reducing erosion: Implementing erosion control measures helps stabilize the landscape and prevent sedimentation in water bodies.
• Site assessment: This involves understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by the watershed through environmental inventory, historical analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
• Resilience to climate change: Ensuring the watershed's resilience to changing climatic conditions is critical. Restoration practices consider the impact of climate change on the ecosystem and aim to enhance its ability to adapt.
• Capturing stormwater runoff through green streets and stormwater ponds.
• Physically enhancing stream conditions by constructing aquatic habitats or planting native vegetation.
• Implementing erosion control structures and habitat restoration projects.
• Developing water management systems to improve the overall health of the watershed.

Sewage overflow

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) is a condition where untreated sewage is discharged from a sanitary sewer into the environment before reaching sewage treatment facilities. SSOs are caused by rainfall, known as wet weather overflow, and can be prevented by regular maintenance and timely upgrades of infrastructure.

SSOs can have significant negative impacts on human health and the environment. Human health consequences include gastrointestinal illnesses, with one study indicating that an average of nearly 700 cases of illness per year were reported in the 1980s from consuming shellfish contaminated by sewage. Beach closures and restrictions on fish and shellfish consumption are also common after overflow events.

Ecological consequences of SSOs include fish kills, harm to plankton and other aquatic microflora and microfauna, and increased turbidity and decreased dissolved oxygen in receiving waters, which can have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems.

To address SSOs, the US government has taken several actions. After the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, the US spent billions of dollars on upgrades to sewage treatment plants and associated repairs and improvements to collection systems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also provides funding for low-interest loans to communities to address SSO problems through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

The EPA has also implemented measures to control SSOs, including enlarging or upgrading sewer, pump station, or sewage treatment plant capacity and reliability, constructing wet weather storage facilities, and expanding the capacity of treatment works. Additionally, the EPA educates the public on how fats, oils, and grease (FOG), and certain household products can clog sewers, and encourages communities to address SSOs during sewer system planning and expansion.

Identifying and addressing high-risk locations

The US government has implemented several measures to address water pollution, including the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The CWA, established in 1972, regulates the discharge of pollutants into US waters and sets quality standards for surface waters. It also provides funding for the construction of sewage treatment plants. The EPA has also undertaken large-scale watershed restoration efforts, awarding $31 million for projects to restore the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, for example.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies play a crucial role in ensuring that the nation has access to safe and clean water. Under the SDWA, the EPA establishes legally enforceable standards to limit the levels of specific contaminants in drinking water. The EPA identifies unregulated contaminants and determines whether to regulate them based on their danger to public health and frequency.

To effectively identify and address high-risk locations, the EPA has developed guidance for water systems that outlines methods for using publicly available data to pinpoint areas at greater risk of having lead service lines. This guidance helps public water systems test water samples from these high-risk locations and focus lead service line replacement efforts accordingly. However, the EPA's existing guidance has been criticized for excluding the use of American Community Survey data on neighborhood characteristics with geospatial data, which could enhance the identification of high-risk locations.

The EPA also identifies and addresses high-risk locations by monitoring and regulating point sources of pollution, such as pipes from industrial facilities and wastewater treatment plants. These sources require permits to discharge pollution and must comply with established guidelines. The EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls discharges from point sources into navigable waters.

Additionally, the EPA has identified almost 70,000 water bodies that do not meet water quality standards and is working to address this issue. The discovery of widespread pollution by persistent chemicals called PFAS has also prompted the EPA to take action, including using the Act's permitting authorities to reduce PFAS discharges and obtaining monitoring information to make informed decisions about restricting releases by industrial facilities.

To further address high-risk locations, the EPA has directed municipalities with combined sewer systems to develop plans to address sewage overflows, which can occur during heavy rainfall. These plans aim to comply with the CWA and mitigate the impact of raw sewage overflowing into waterways.

In conclusion, the EPA utilizes various strategies, such as data analysis, monitoring, regulation, and restoration projects, to identify and address high-risk locations affected by water pollution. These efforts are crucial in ensuring safe and clean water for the nation's citizens and protecting their health.

Justice40 Initiative

The Justice40 Initiative was established by US President Biden in 2021 through Executive Order 14008, with the goal of tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad. The initiative aims to address the high levels of pollution, chronic disinvestment, and lack of access to capital in communities of colour and low-income areas, driven by discriminatory environmental, housing, infrastructure, and economic policies.

The Justice40 Initiative sets a federal government-wide goal to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments are directed towards disadvantaged communities that are marginalised, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. This includes investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure.

To achieve this goal, the Justice40 Initiative covers a range of programs and funding initiatives. For example, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps households with energy costs, providing assistance with energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and energy-related repairs. The Sanitation Facilities Construction (SFC) Program delivers environmental engineering services and essential water supply, sewage disposal, and solid waste disposal facilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Rural Community Development (RCD) program works with multi-state and local organizations to manage safe water systems in rural communities, increase access to water supply and waste disposal services for low-income families, and promote improved coordination between federal, state, and local agencies. The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides funds to assist low-income households with paying past-due bills and rates for drinking water and wastewater services.

The Justice40 Initiative also includes programs focused on clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, sustainable and affordable housing, workforce training, pollution reduction, and water infrastructure. Federal agencies have reviewed their programs to identify which ones fall under the Justice40 Initiative and how they can strengthen these programs to maximize benefits for disadvantaged communities. The initiative emphasizes the involvement of community stakeholders in determining program benefits and aims to ensure broadly shared prosperity in the clean energy transition.

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