Order Code RL30030
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Clean Water Act:
A Summary of the Law
Updated February 1, 2006January 3, 2007
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Environmental Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law
Summary
The principal law governing pollution of the nation’s surface waters is the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or Clean Water Act. Originally enacted in
1948, it was totally revised by amendments in 1972 that gave the act its current
shape. The 1972 legislation spelled out ambitious programs for water quality
improvement that have since been expanded and are still being implemented by
industries and municipalities.
This report presents a summary of the law, describing the essence of the statute
without discussing its implementation.
Other CRS products do discuss
implementation, such as CRS Issue Brief IB89102,including CRS Report RL33466, Water Quality: Implementing the
Clean Water
Act, and numerous reportsproducts cited in that issue briefreport.
The Clean Water Act consists of two major parts, one being the provisions
which authorize federal financial assistance for municipal sewage treatment plant
construction. The other is the regulatory requirements that apply to industrial and
municipal dischargers. The act has been termed a technology-forcing statute because
of the rigorous demands placed on those who are regulated by it to achieve higher
and higher levels of pollution abatement under deadlines specified in the law. Early
on, emphasis was on controlling discharges of conventional pollutants (e.g.,
suspended solids or bacteria that are biodegradable and occur naturally in the aquatic
environment), while control of toxic pollutant discharges has been a key focus of
water quality programs more recently.
Prior to 1987, programs were primarily directed at point source pollution, wastes
discharged from discrete sources such as pipes and outfalls. Amendments in that
year authorized measures to address nonpoint source pollution (stormwater runoff
from farm lands, forests, construction sites, and urban areas), now estimated to
represent more than 50% of the nation’s remaining water pollution problems.
Under this act, federal jurisdiction is broad, particularly regarding establishment
of national standards or effluent limitations. Certain responsibilities are delegated
to the states, and the act embodies a philosophy of federal-state partnership in which
the federal government sets the agenda and standards for pollution abatement, while
states carry out day-to-day activities of implementation and enforcement.
To achieve its objectives, the act embodies the concept that all discharges into
the nation’s waters are unlawful, unless specifically authorized by a permit, which
is the act’s principal enforcement tool. The law has civil, criminal, and
administrative enforcement provisions and also permits citizen suit enforcement.
Financial assistance for constructing municipal sewage treatment plants and
certain other types of water quality improvements projects is authorized under title
VI. It authorizes grants to capitalize State Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds,
or loan programs. States contribute matching funds, and under the revolving loan
fund concept, monies used for wastewater treatment construction will be repaid to
a state, to be available for future construction in other communities.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Federal and State Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Titles II and VI — Municipal Wastewater Treatment Construction . . . . . . . 5
Permits, Regulations, and Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Selected References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
List of Tables
Table 1. Clean Water Act and Major Amendments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table 2. Major U.S. Code Sections of the Clean Water Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law
Introduction
The principal law governing pollution of the nation’s surface waters is the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or Clean Water Act. Originally enacted in
1948, it was totally revised by amendments in 1972 that gave the act its current
shape. The 1972 legislation spelled out ambitious programs for water quality
improvement that have since been expanded and are still being implemented by
industries, municipalities and others. Congress made fine-tuning amendments in
1977, revised portions of the law in 1981, and enacted further amendments in 1987.
This report presents a summary of the law, describing the essence of the statute.
It is excerpted from a larger document, CRS Report RL30798, Environmental
Protection Laws: Summaries of Statutes Administered by the Environmental
Protection Agency, by Susan Fletcher, coordinator. Many details and secondary
provisions are omitted here, and even some major components are only briefly
mentioned. Further, this report describes the statute without discussing its
implementation. Other CRS products are more current and discuss implementation
concerns. For example, see CRS Issue Brief IB89102Report RL33466, Water Quality: Implementing
the the
Clean Water Act, by Claudia Copeland. Table 1 shows the original enactment
and and
subsequent major amendments. Table 2, at the end of this report, cites the major
U.S. Code sections of the codified statute.
Table 1. Clean Water Act and Major Amendments
(codified generally as 33 U.S.C. 1251-1387)
Year
Act
1948
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
1956
Water Pollution Control Act of 1956
1961
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
Amendments
Water Quality Act of 1965
Clean Water Restoration Act
Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
Amendments
Clean Water Act of 1977
Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Construction Grants Amendments
Water Quality Act of 1987
1965
1966
1970
1972
1977
1981
1987
Public Law
P.L. 80-845
(Act of June 30, 1948)
P.L. 84-660
(Act of July 9, 1956)
P.L. 87-88
P.L. 89-234
P.L. 89-753
P.L. 91-224, Part I
P.L. 92-500
P.L. 95-217
P.L. 97-117
P.L. 100-4
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Authorizations for appropriations to support the law generally expired at the end
of FY1990 (Sept.September 30, 1990). Programs did not lapse, however, and Congress has
has continued to appropriate funds to carry out the act. Since the 1987 amendments,
although Congress has enacted several bills that reauthorize and modify a number of
individual provisions in the law, none comprehensively addressed major programs
or requirements.
Background
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first comprehensive
statement of federal interest in clean water programs, and it specifically provided
state and local governments with technical assistance funds to address water
pollution problems, including research. Water pollution was viewed as primarily a
state and local problem, hence, there were no federally required goals, objectives,
limits, or even guidelines. When it came to enforcement, federal involvement was
strictly limited to matters involving interstate waters and only with the consent of the
state in which the pollution originated.
During the latter half of the 1950s and well into the 1960s, water pollution
control programs were shaped by four laws which amended the 1948 statute. They
dealt largely with federal assistance to municipal dischargers and with federal
enforcement programs for all dischargers. During this period, the federal role and
federal jurisdiction were gradually extended to include navigable intrastate, as well
as interstate, waters. Water quality standards became a feature of the law in 1965,
requiring states to set standards for interstate waters that would be used to determine
actual pollution levels and control requirements. By the late 1960s, there was a
widespread perception that existing enforcement procedures were too timeconsuming and that the water quality standards approach was flawed because of
difficulties in linking a particular discharger to violations of stream quality standards.
Additionally, there was mounting frustration over the slow pace of pollution cleanup
efforts and a suspicion that control technologies were being developed but not
applied to the problems. These perceptions and frustrations, along with increased
public interest in environmental protection, set the stage for the 1972 amendments.
The 1972 statute did not continue the basic components of previous laws as
much as it set up new ones. It set optimistic and ambitious goals, required all
municipal and industrial wastewater to be treated before being discharged into
waterways, increased federal assistance for municipal treatment plant construction,
strengthened and streamlined enforcement, and expanded the federal role while
retaining the responsibility of states for day-to-day implementation of the law.
The 1972 legislation declared as its objective the restoration and maintenance
of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. Two goals
also were established: zero discharge of pollutants by 1985 and, as an interim goal
and where possible, water quality that is both “fishable” and “swimmable” by
mid-1983. While those dates have passed, the goals remain, and efforts to attain
them continue.
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Overview
The Clean Water Act (CWA) today consists of two major parts, one being the
Title II and Title VI provisions which authorize federal financial assistance for
municipal sewage treatment plant construction. The other is the regulatory
requirements, found throughout the act, that apply to industrial and municipal
dischargers.
The act has been termed a technology-forcing statute because of the rigorous
demands placed on those who are regulated by it to achieve higher and higher levels
of pollution abatement. Industries were given until July 1, 1977, to install “best
practicable control technology” (BPT) to clean up waste discharges. Municipal
wastewater treatment plants were required to meet an equivalent goal, termed
“secondary treatment,” by that date. (Municipalities unable to achieve secondary
treatment by that date were allowed to apply for case-by-case extensions up to July
1, 1988. According to EPA, 86% of all cities met the 1988 deadline; the remainder
were put under administrative or court-ordered schedules requiring compliance as
soon as possible. However, many cities continue to make investments in building or
upgrading facilities needed to achieve secondary treatment, and funding needs remain
high; see discussion below.) Cities that discharge wastes into marine waters were
eligible for case-by-case waivers of the secondary treatment requirement, where
sufficient showing could be made that natural factors provide significant elimination
of traditional forms of pollution and that both balanced populations of fish, shellfish,
and wildlife and water quality standards would be protected.
The primary focus of BPT was on controlling discharges of conventional
pollutants, such as suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demanding materials, fecal
coliform and bacteria, and pH. These pollutants are substances which are
biodegradable (i.e., bacteria can break them down), occur naturally in the aquatic
environment, and deplete the dissolved oxygen concentration in water which is
necessary for fish and other aquatic life.
The act mandated greater pollutant cleanup than BPT by no later than March 31,
1989, generally requiring that industry use the “best available technology” (BAT) that
is economically achievable. BAT level controls generally focus on toxic substances.
Compliance extensions of as long as two years are available for industrial sources
utilizing innovative or alternative technology. Failure to meet statutory deadlines
could lead to enforcement action.
The act utilizes both water quality standards and technology-based effluent
limitations to protect water quality. Technology-based effluent limitations are
specific numerical limitations established by EPA and placed on certain pollutants
from certain sources. They are applied to industrial and municipal sources through
numerical effluent limitations in discharge permits (see discussion of Permits,
Regulation, and Enforcement, below). Water quality standards are standards for the
overall quality of water. They consist of the designated beneficial use or uses of a
waterbody (recreation, water supply, industrial, or other), plus a numerical or
narrative statement identifying maximum concentrations of various pollutants which
would not interfere with the designated use. The act requires each state to establish
water quality standards for all bodies of water in the state. These standards serve as
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the backup to federally set technology-based requirements by indicating where
additional pollutant controls are needed to achieve the overall goals of the act. In
waters where industrial and municipal sources have achieved technology-based
effluent limitations, yet water quality standards have not been met, dischargers may
be required to meet additional pollution control requirements. For each of these
waters, the act requires states to set a total maximum daily load (TMDL) of pollutants
at a level that ensures that applicable water quality standards can be attained and
maintained. A TMDL is both a planning process for attaining water quality standards
and a quantitative assessment of pollution problems, sources, and pollutant
reductions needed to restore and protect a river, stream, or lake. Based on state
reports, EPA estimates that nearly 34,000 U.S. waters are impaired and require
preparations of TMDLs.
Control of toxic pollutant discharges has been a key focus of water quality
programs. In addition to the BPT and BAT national standards, states are required to
implement control strategies for waters expected to remain polluted by toxic
chemicals even after industrial dischargers have installed the best available cleanup
technologies required under the law. Development of management programs for
these post-BAT pollutant problems was a prominent element in the 1987
amendments and is a key continuing aspect of CWA implementation.
Prior to the 1987 amendments, programs in the Clean Water Act were primarily
directed at point source pollution, wastes discharged from discrete and identifiable
sources, such as pipes and other outfalls. In contrast, except for general planning
activities, little attention had been given to nonpoint source pollution (stormwater
runoff from agricultural lands, forests, construction sites, and urban areas), despite
estimates that it represents more than 50% of the nation’s remaining water pollution
problems. As it travels across land surface towards rivers and streams, rainfall and
snowmelt runoff picks up pollutants, including sediments, toxic materials, and
conventional wastes (e.g., nutrients) that can degrade water quality.
The 1987 amendments authorized measures to address such pollution by
directing states to develop and implement nonpoint pollution management programs
(Section 319 of the act). States were encouraged to pursue groundwater protection
activities as part of their overall nonpoint pollution control efforts. Federal financial
assistance was authorized to support demonstration projects and actual control
activities. These grants may cover up to 60% of program implementation costs.
While the act imposes great technological demands, it also recognizes the need
for comprehensive research on water quality problems. This is provided throughout
the statute, on topics including pollution in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay,
in-place toxic pollutants in harbors and navigable waterways, and water pollution
resulting from mine drainage. The act also provides support to train personnel who
operate and maintain wastewater treatment facilities.
Federal and State Responsibilities. Under this act, federal jurisdiction
is broad, particularly regarding establishment of national standards or effluent
limitations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues regulations
containing the BPT and BAT effluent standards applicable to categories of industrial
sources (such as iron and steel manufacturing, organic chemical manufacturing,
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petroleum refining, and others). Certain responsibilities are delegated to the states,
and this act, like other environmental laws, embodies a philosophy of federal-state
partnership in which the federal government sets the agenda and standards for
pollution abatement, while states carry out day-to-day activities of implementation
and enforcement. Delegated responsibilities under the act include authority for
qualified states to issue discharge permits to industries and municipalities and to
enforce permits. (As of JanuaryDecember 2006, 45 states had been delegated responsibility for
for this permit program; EPA issues discharge permits in the remaining states.) In
addition, as noted above, states are responsible for establishing water quality
standards.
Titles II and VI —
Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Construction
Federal law has authorized grants for planning, design, and construction of
municipal sewage treatment facilities since 1956 (Act of July 9, 1956, or P.L.
84-660). Congress greatly expanded this grant program in 1972 in order to assist
cities in meeting the act’s pollution control requirements. Since that time Congress
has authorized $65 billion and appropriated nearly $75$76.5 billion in CWA funds to aid
wastewater treatment plant construction. Grants are allocated among the states
according to a complex statutory formula that combines two factors: state population
and an estimate of municipal sewage treatment funding needs derived from a biennial
survey conductedsurvey
conducted periodically by EPA and the states. The most recent estimate, completed in
2003, indicatespublished
in 2003, indicated that $181 billion more would be required to build and upgrade
municipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States and for other types of
water quality improvement projects that are eligible for funding under the act.
Under the Title II construction grants program established in 1972, federal grants
were made for several types of projects (such as secondary or more stringent
treatment and associated sewers) based on a priority list established by the states.
Grants were generally available for as much as 55% of total project costs. For
projects using innovative or alternative technology (such as reuse or recycling of
water), as much as 75% federal funding was allowed. Recipients were responsible
for non-federal costs but were not required to repay federal grants.
Policymakers have debated the tension between assisting municipal funding
needs, which remain large, and the impact of aid programs such as the Clean Water
Act’s on federal spending and budget deficits. In the 1987 amendments to the act,
Congress attempted to deal with that apparent conflict by extending federal aid for
wastewater treatment construction through FY1994, yet providing a transition
towards full state and local government responsibility for financing after that date.
Grants under the previous Title II program were authorized through FY1990. Under
Title VI of the act, grants to capitalize State Water Pollution Control Revolving
Funds, or loan programs, were authorized beginning in FY1989 to replace the Title
II grants. States contribute matching funds, and under the revolving loan fund
concept, monies used for wastewater treatment construction will be repaid to a state
fund, to be available for future construction in other communities. All states now
have functioning loan programs, but the shift from federal grants to loans has been
easier for some than others. The new financing requirements have been a problem
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for cities (especially small towns) that have difficulty repaying project loans.
Statutory authorization for grants to capitalize state loan programs expired in 1994;
however, Congress has continued to provide annual appropriations. An issue
affecting some cities is overflow discharges of inadequately treated wastes from
municipal sewers and how cities will pay for costly remediation projects. In 2000,
Congress amended the act to authorize a two-year $1.5 billion grant program to help
cities reduce these wet weather flows. Authorization for that wet weather grant
program expired at the end of FY2003 and has not been renewed.
Permits, Regulations, and Enforcement
To achieve its objectives, the act embodies the concept that all discharges into
the nation’s waters are unlawful, unless specifically authorized by a permit. Thus,
more than 65,000 industrial and municipal dischargers must obtain permits from
EPA (or qualified states) under the act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) program (authorized in Section 402 of the act). An NPDES permit
requires the discharger (source) to attain technology-based effluent limits (BPT or
BAT for industry, secondary treatment for municipalities, or more stringent for water
quality protection). Permits specify the control technology applicable to each
pollutant, the effluent limitations a discharger must meet, and the deadline for
compliance. Sources are required to maintain records and to carry out effluent
monitoring activities. Permits are issued for five-year periods and must be renewed
thereafter to allow continued discharge.
The NPDES permit incorporates numerical effluent limitations issued by EPA.
The initial BPT limitations focused on regulating discharges of conventional
pollutants, such as bacteria and oxygen-consuming materials. The more stringent
BAT limitations emphasize controlling toxic pollutants — heavy metals, pesticides,
and other organic chemicals. In addition to these limitations applicable to categories
of industry, EPA has issued water quality criteria for more than 115 pollutants,
including 65 named classes or categories of toxic chemicals, or “priority pollutants.”
These criteria recommend ambient, or overall, concentration levels for the pollutants
and provide guidance to states for establishing water quality standards that will
achieve the goals of the act.
A separate type of permit is required to dispose of dredged or fill material in the
nation’s waters, including wetlands. Authorized by Section 404 of the act, this
permit program is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, subject to and
using EPA’s environmental guidance. Some types of activities are exempt from
permit requirements, including certain farming, ranching, and forestry practices
which do not alter the use or character of the land; some construction and
maintenance; and activities already regulated by states under other provisions of the
act. EPA may delegate certain Section 404 permitting responsibility to qualified
states and has done so twice (Michigan and New Jersey). For some time, the act’s
wetlands permit program has becomebeen one of the most controversial parts of the law.
Some who wish to develop wetlands maintain that federal regulation intrudes on and
impedes private land-use decisions, while environmentalists seek more protection for
remaining wetlands and limits on activities that take place in wetlands.
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Nonpoint sources of pollution, which EPA and states believe are responsible for
the majority of water quality impairments in the nation, are not subject to CWA
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permits or other regulatory requirements under federal law. They are covered by
state programs for the management of runoff, under Section 319 of the act.
Other EPA regulations under the CWA include guidelines on using and
disposing of sewage sludge and guidelines for discharging pollutants from land-based
sources into the ocean. (A related law, the Ocean Dumping Act, 33U.S.C. §§140145, regulates the intentional disposal of wastes into ocean waters.) EPA also
provides guidance on technologies that will achieve BPT, BAT, and other effluent
limitations.
The NPDES permit, containing effluent limitations on what may be discharged
by a source, is the act’s principal enforcement tool. EPA may issue a compliance
order or bring a civil suit in U.S. district court against persons who violate the terms
of a permit. The penalty for such a violation can be as much as $25,000 per day.
Stiffer penalties are authorized for criminal violations of the act — for negligent or
knowing violations — of as much as $50,000 per day, three years’ imprisonment,
or or
both. A fine of as much as $250,000, 15 years in prison, or both, is authorized for
‘knowing endangerment’ — violations that knowingly place another person in
imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Finally, EPA is authorized to
assess civil penalties administratively for certain well-documented violations of the
law. These civil and criminal enforcement provisions are contained in Section 309
of the act. EPA, working with the Army Corps of Engineers, also has responsibility
for enforcing against entities who engage in activities that destroy or alter wetlandsfail to obtain or comply with a Section 404 permit.
While the CWA addresses federal enforcement, the majority of actions taken to
enforce the law are undertaken by states, both because states issue the majority of
permits to dischargers and because the federal government lacks the resources for
day-to-day monitoring and enforcement. Like most other federal environmental
laws, CWA enforcement is shared by EPA and states, with states having primary
responsibility. However, EPA has oversight of state enforcement and retains the
right to bring a direct action where it believes that a state has failed to take timely and
appropriate action or where a state or local agency requests EPA involvement.
Finally, the federal government acts to enforce against criminal violations of the
federal law.
In addition, individuals may bring a citizen suit in U.S. district court against
persons who violate a prescribed effluent standard or limitation. Individuals also
may bring citizen suits against the Administrator of EPA or equivalent state official
(where program responsibility has been delegated to the state) for failure to carry out
a nondiscretionary duty under the act.
Selected References
Loeb, Penny. “Very Troubled Waters.” U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORTNews & World Report, vol. 125, no.
12.
Sept. 28, 1998. pp. 39, 41-42.
Schneider, Paul. “Clear Progress, 25 Years of the Clean Water Act. AUDUBON” Audubon.
September/October 1997. pp. 36-47, 106-107.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The National Water Quality Inventory, 2000
Report. Washington, August 2002. EPA841-R-02-001. 207 p.
—— EPA’s Draft Report on the Environment, Technical Document. Chapter 2,
Purer Water. June 2003. EPA 600-R-03-050. pp. 2-1 - 2-64.
—— Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2000, Report to Congress. August 2003.
EPA-832-R-03-001. 1 vol.
—— Clean Water State Revolving Fund Programs 2004 Annual Report. April 2005.
EPA-832-R-05-001. 26 p.
U.S. General Accounting Office. Water Quality, A Catalog of Related Federal
Programs. GAO/RCED-96-173. June 1996. 64 p.
—— Water Infrastructure: Information on Financing, Capital Planning, and
Privatization. (GAO-02-764) August 2002. 79 p.
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Table 2. Major U.S. Code Sections of the Clean Water Act1Act
(codified generally as 33 U.S.C., Chapter 26, Sections 1251-1387)
33 U.S.C.
Subchapter I 1251
1252
1267
1268
1269
1270
1273
1274
1253
1254
1255
1256
1257
1258
1259
1260
1261
1262
1263
1264
1265
1266
1267
1268
1269
1270
1273
1274
Subchapter II 1281
1282
1283
1284
1285
1286
1287
1288
1289
1290
1291
1292
1293
1294
1295
1296
Section Title
Research and Related Programs
Declaration of goals and policy
Comprehensive programs for water pollution
control
Interstate cooperation and uniform laws
Research, investigations, training and
information
Grants for research and development
Grants for pollution control programs
Mine water pollution control demonstrations
Pollution control in the Great Lakes
Training grants and contracts
Applications for training grants or contracts;
allocations of grants or contracts
Award of scholarships
Definitions and authorizations
Alaska village demonstration project
Lake Tahoe study
In-place toxic pollutants
Hudson River PCB reclamation demonstration
project
Chesapeake Bay
Great Lakes
Long Island Sound
Lake Champlain Basin program
Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Wet weather watershed pilot projects
Subchapter II 1281
1282
1283
1284
1285
1286
1287
1288
1289
Grants for Construction of Treatment Works
Purpose
Federal share
Plans, specifications, estimates, and payments
Limitations and conditions
Allotment
Reimbursement and advanced construction
Authorization
Areawide waste treatment management
Basin planning
1253
1254
1255
1256
1257
1258
1259
1260
1261
1262
1263
1264
1265
1266
Clean Water Act
(as amended)
sec. 101
sec. 102
sec. 103
sec. 104
sec. 105
sec. 106
sec. 107
sec. 108
sec. 109
sec. 110
sec. 111
sec. 112
sec. 113
sec. 114
sec. 115
sec. 116
sec. 117
sec. 118
sec. 119
sec. 120
sec. 121
sec. 1212
sec. 201
sec. 202
sec. 203
sec. 204
sec. 205
sec. 206
sec. 207
sec. 208
sec. 209
1
NOTE: This table shows only the major code sections. For more detail and to determine
when a section was added, the reader should consult the official printed version of the U.S.
Code.
2
This provision was added by P.L. 106-554. Another Section 121, added by P.L. 106-457,
is classified to Section 1273 of Title 33.
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33 U.S.C.
1290
1291
1292
1293
1294
1295
1296
1297
1298
1299
1300
1301
Subchapter III 1311
1312
1313
1314
1315
1316
1317
1318
1319
1320
1321
1322
1323
1324
1325
1326
1327
1328
1329
1330
Section Title
Annual survey
Sewage collection systems
Definitions
Loan guarantees for construction of treatment
works
Public information
Requirements for American materials
Determination of priority
Annual survey
Sewage collection systems
Definitions
Loan guarantees for construction of treatment
works
Public information on water recycling, reuse
Requirements for American materials
Determination of priority
Clean Water Act
(as amended)
Sec. 101
Sec. 102
Sec. 103
Sec. 104
Sec. 105
Sec. 106
Sec. 107
Sec. 108
Sec. 109
Sec. 110
Sec. 111
Sec. 112
Sec. 113
Sec. 114
Sec. 115
Sec. 116
Sec. 117
Sec. 118
Sec. 119
Sec. 120
Sec. 121
Sec. 121a
Sec. 201
Sec. 202
Sec. 203
Sec. 204
Sec. 205
Sec. 206
Sec. 207
Sec. 208
Sec. 209
Sec. 210
Sec. 211
Sec. 212
Sec. 213
Sec. 214
Sec. 215
Sec. 216
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33 U.S.C.
1297
1298
1299
1300
1301
Section Title
Cost-effectiveness guidelines
Cost effectiveness
State certification of projects
Pilot program for alternative water source projects
Sewer overflow control grants
Subchapter III 1311
1312
1313
Standards and Enforcement
Effluent Limitations
Water quality related effluent limitations
Water quality standards and implementation
plans
Information and guidelines
Water quality inventory
National standards of performance
Toxic and pretreatment effluent standards
Inspections, monitoring, and entry
Federal enforcement
International pollution abatement
Oil and hazardous substance liability
Marine sanitation devices
Federal facilities pollution control
Clean lakes
National study commission
Thermal discharges
Financing study
Aquaculture
Nonpoint source management programs
National estuary program
1314
1315
1316
1317
1318
1319
1320
1321
1322
1323
1324
1325
1326
1327
1328
1329
1330
Subchapter IV - Permits and Licenses
1341
Certification
1342
National pollutant discharge elimination
system
1343
Ocean discharge criteria
1344
Permits for dredged or fill material
1345
Disposal of sewage sludge
1346
Coastal recreation water quality monitoring
and notification
Subchapter V - General Provisions
1361
Administration
Clean Water Act
(as amended)
sec. 210
sec. 211
sec. 212
sec. 213
sec. 214
sec. 215
sec. 216
sec. 217
sec. 218
sec. 219
sec. 220
sec. 221
sec. 301
sec. 302
sec. 303
sec. 304
sec. 305
sec. 306
sec. 307
sec. 308
sec. 309
sec. 310
sec. 311
sec. 312
sec. 313
sec. 314
sec. 315
sec. 316
sec. 317
sec. 318
sec. 319
sec. 320
sec. 401
sec. 402
sec. 403
sec. 404
sec. 405
sec. 406
sec. 501
CRS-11
33 U.S.C.
1362
1363
1364
1365
1366
1367
1368
1369
1370
1371
1372
1372
1373
1374
1375
1376
1377
1251 note
Section Title
General definitions
Water pollution control advisory board
Emergency powers
Citizen suits
Appearance
Employee protection
Federal procurement
Administrative procedure and judicial review1361
1362
1363
1364
1365
1366
1367
1368
1369
General Provisions
Administration
General definitions
Water pollution control advisory board
Emergency powers
Citizen suits
Appearance
Employee protection
Federal procurement
Administrative procedure and judicial review
Clean Water Act
(as amended)
Sec. 217
Sec. 218
Sec. 219
Sec. 220
Sec. 221
Sec. 301
Sec. 302
Sec. 303
Sec. 304
Sec. 305
Sec. 306
Sec. 307
Sec. 308
Sec. 309
Sec. 310
Sec. 311
Sec. 312
Sec. 313
Sec. 314
Sec. 315
Sec. 316
Sec. 317
Sec. 318
Sec. 319
Sec. 320
Sec. 401
Sec. 402
Sec. 403
Sec. 404
Sec. 405
Sec. 406
Sec. 501
Sec. 502
Sec. 503
Sec. 504
Sec. 505
Sec. 506
Sec. 507
Sec. 508
Sec. 509
CRS-11
33 U.S.C.
1370
1371
1372
1372
1373
1374
1375
1376
1377
1251 note
Section Title
State authority
Other affected authority
Separability
Labor standards
Public health agency coordination
Effluent standards and water quality
information advisory committee
Reports to Congress
General authorization
Indian tribes
Short title
Subchapter VI - State Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds
1381
Grants to states for establishment of revolving
funds
1382
Capitalization grant agreements
1383
Water pollution control revolving loan funds
1384
Allotment of funds
1385
Corrective action
1386
Audits, reports, and fiscal controls; intended
use plan
1387
Authorization of appropriations
Clean Water Act
(as amended)
sec. 502
sec. 503
sec. 504
sec. 505
sec. 506
sec. 507
sec. 508
sec. 509
secSec. 510
secSec. 511
secSec. 512
secSec. 513
secSec. 514
secSec. 515
secSec. 516
secSec. 517
secSec. 518
secSec. 519
secSec. 601
secSec. 602
secSec. 603
secSec. 604
secSec. 605
secSec. 606
sec. 607Sec. 607
Note: This table shows only the major code sections. For more detail and to determine when a
section was added, the reader should consult the official printed version of the U.S. Code.
a. This provision was added by P.L. 106-554. Another Section 121, added by P.L. 106-457, is
classified to Section 1273 of Title 33.