.

Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law
Claudia Copeland
Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
December 15, 2010
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL30030
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
c11173008

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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 Originally enacted in 1948, it was totally revised by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 reports discuss implementation, including CRS Report
R40098, Water Quality Issues in the 111th Congress: Oversight and Implementation, and
numerous products cited in that report.
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 to the law in that year authorized
measures to address nonpoint source pollution (stormwater runoff from farm lands, forests,
construction sites, and urban areas), which is 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 is based on 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.

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Clean Water Act: A Summary of the Law

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Background ................................................................................................................................ 2
Overview .................................................................................................................................... 2
Federal and State Responsibilities ......................................................................................... 4
Titles II and VI—Municipal Wastewater Treatment Construction ................................................ 4
Permits, Regulations, and Enforcement ....................................................................................... 5
Selected References .................................................................................................................... 7

Tables
Table 1. Clean Water Act and Major Amendments ....................................................................... 1
Table 2. Major U.S. Code Sections of the Clean Water Act .......................................................... 8

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 11

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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 Laws: Summaries of Major
Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency
. Many details and secondary
provisions are omitted here, and even some major components are only briefly mentioned.
Further, this report describes the statute, while other CRS products discuss implementation
concerns.1 Table 1 shows the original enactment 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
Public
Law
1948
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
P.L. 80-845
(Act of June 30, 1948)
1956
Water Pol ution Control Act of 1956
P.L. 84-660
(Act of July 9, 1956)
1961
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments
P.L. 87-88
1965
Water Quality Act of 1965
P.L. 89-234
1966
Clean Water Restoration Act
P.L. 89-753
1970
Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970
P.L. 91-224, Part I
1972
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments
P.L. 92-500
1977
Clean Water Act of 1977
P.L. 95-217
1981
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Construction Grants Amendments
P.L. 97-117
1987
Water Quality Act of 1987
P.L. 100-4

Authorizations for appropriations to support the law generally expired at the end of FY1990
(September 30, 1990). Programs did not lapse, however, and Congress 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.

1 For example, see CRS Report R40098, Water Quality Issues in the 111th Congress: Oversight and Implementation, by
Claudia Copeland.
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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 that 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 time-consuming 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.
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
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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 that 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, Regulations, 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 that 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 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 more than 40,000 U.S. waters are impaired and require preparation 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.
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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
authorizes 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, petroleum refining, and
others). Certain responsibilities can be assumed by qualified states, in lieu of EPA, 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. Responsibilities under the act that may
be carried out by qualified states include authority to issue discharge permits to industries and
municipalities and to enforce permits. (As of December 2010, 46 states had been authorized to
administer this permit program; EPA issues discharge permits in the remaining states—Idaho,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico—and the District of Columbia.) In addition, as
noted above, all 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 more than
$78 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
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population and an estimate of municipal sewage treatment funding needs derived from a survey
conducted periodically by EPA and the states. The most recent estimate, published in 2008,
indicated that $202.5 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, an 8% increase over the previous estimate from four
years earlier.
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 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 conventional
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). NPDES permits also are required for more than 150,000 industrial and municipal
sources of stormwater discharges. 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 no more than five years and must be renewed
thereafter to allow continued discharge.
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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 been 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.
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 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, 33 U.S.C. §§1401-45, 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 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 fail 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
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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 or permit requirement. 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
Hamilton, Pixie, Timothy Miller, and Donna Myers. “Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and
Aquifers—Overview of Selected Findings, 1991-2001.” U.S. Geological Survey Circular
1265. May 2004.
Lavelle, Marianne. “Water Woes.” U.S. News & World Report. June 4, 2007. pp. 37-53.
U.S. Congressional Budget Office. Public Spending on Transportation and Water Infrastructure.
November 2010. Pub. No. 4088. 49 p.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 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 2008, Report to Congress. May 2010. EPA-832-R-10-002.
——. Clean Water State Revolving Fund Programs 2008 Annual Report. March 2009. EPA-832-
09-001. 28 p.
——. National Water Quality Inventory: Report to Congress for the 2004 Reporting Cycle.
January 2009. EPA-841-R-08-001. 37 p.
U.S. Government Accountability 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 Act
(codified generally as 33 U.S.C., Chapter 26, Sections 1251-1387)
Clean Water Act
33 U.S.C.
Section Title
(as amended)
Subchapter I -
Research and Related Programs

1251
Declaration of goals and policy
Sec. 101
1252
Comprehensive programs for water pollution control
Sec. 102
1253
Interstate cooperation and uniform laws
Sec. 103
1254
Research, investigations, training and information
Sec. 104
1255
Grants for research and development
Sec. 105
1256
Grants for pol ution control programs
Sec. 106
1257
Mine water pollution control demonstrations
Sec. 107
1258
Pol ution control in the Great Lakes
Sec. 108
1259
Training grants and contracts
Sec. 109
1260
Applications for training grants or contracts;
Sec. 110
allocations of grants or contracts
1261
Award of scholarships
Sec. 111
1262
Definitions and authorizations
Sec. 112
1263 Alaska
village demonstration project
Sec. 113
1264
Lake Tahoe study
Sec. 114
1265
In-place toxic pol utants
Sec. 115
1266
Hudson River PCB reclamation demonstration project
Sec. 116
1267
Chesapeake Bay
Sec. 117
1268
Great Lakes
Sec. 118
1269
Long Island Sound
Sec. 119
1270
Lake Champlain Basin program
Sec. 120
1273
Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Sec. 121
1274
Wet weather watershed pilot projects
Sec. 122

Subchapter II -
Grants for Construction of Treatment Works
1281 Purpose
Sec.
201
1282
Federal share
Sec. 202
1283
Plans, specifications, estimates, and payments
Sec. 203
1284
Limitations and conditions
Sec. 204
1285 Al otment
Sec.
205
1286
Reimbursement and advanced construction
Sec. 206
1287 Authorization
Sec.
207
1288
Areawide waste treatment management
Sec. 208
1289
Basin planning
Sec. 209
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Clean Water Act
33 U.S.C.
Section Title
(as amended)
1290 Annual
survey
Sec.
210
1291
Sewage col ection systems
Sec. 211
1292 Definitions
Sec.
212
1293
Loan guarantees for construction of treatment works
Sec. 213
1294
Public information on water recycling, reuse
Sec. 214
1295
Requirements for American materials
Sec. 215
1296
Determination of priority
Sec. 216
1297
Cost-effectiveness guidelines
Sec. 217
1298
Cost effectiveness
Sec. 218
1299
State certification of projects
Sec. 219
1300
Pilot program for alternative water source projects
Sec. 220
1301
Sewer overflow control grants
Sec. 221

Subchapter III - Standards and Enforcement

1311 Effluent
Limitations
Sec.
301
1312
Water quality related effluent limitations
Sec. 302
1313
Water quality standards and implementation plans
Sec. 303
1314
Information and guidelines
Sec. 304
1315
Water quality inventory
Sec. 305
1316
National standards of performance
Sec. 306
1317
Toxic and pretreatment effluent standards
Sec. 307
1318
Inspections, monitoring, and entry
Sec. 308
1319
Federal enforcement
Sec. 309
1320
International pol ution abatement
Sec. 310
1321
Oil and hazardous substance liability
Sec. 311
1322
Marine sanitation devices
Sec. 312
1323
Federal facilities pollution control
Sec. 313
1324
Clean lakes
Sec. 314
1325
National study commission
Sec. 315
1326
Thermal discharges
Sec. 316
1327
Financing study
Sec. 317
1328 Aquaculture
Sec.
318
1329
Nonpoint source management programs
Sec. 319
1330
National estuary program
Sec. 320

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Clean Water Act
33 U.S.C.
Section Title
(as amended)
Subchapter IV - Permits and Licenses

1341 Certification
Sec.
401
1342
National pol utant discharge elimination system
Sec. 402
1343
Ocean discharge criteria
Sec. 403
1344
Permits for dredged or fill material
Sec. 404
1345
Disposal of sewage sludge
Sec. 405
1346
Coastal recreation water quality monitoring and notification
Sec. 406

Subchapter V - General Provisions

1361 Administration
Sec.
501
1362
General definitions
Sec. 502
1363
Water pol ution control advisory board
Sec. 503
1364
Emergency powers
Sec. 504
1365
Citizen suits
Sec. 505
1366 Appearance
Sec.
506
1367
Employee protection
Sec. 507
1368
Federal procurement
Sec. 508
1369
Administrative procedure and judicial review
Sec. 509
1370
State authority
Sec. 510
1371
Other affected authority
Sec. 511
1372 Separability Sec.
512
1372
Labor standards
Sec. 513
1373
Public health agency coordination
Sec. 514
1374
Effluent standards and water quality information advisory committee
Sec. 515
1375
Reports to Congress
Sec. 516
1376
General authorization
Sec. 517
1377 Indian
tribes
Sec.
518
1251 note
Short title
Sec. 519

Subchapter VI - State Water Pollution Control Revolving Funds
1381
Grants to states for establishment of revolving funds
Sec. 601
1382
Capitalization grant agreements
Sec. 602
1383
Water pol ution control revolving loan funds
Sec. 603
1384
Al otment of funds
Sec. 604
1385
Corrective action
Sec. 605
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Clean Water Act
33 U.S.C.
Section Title
(as amended)
1386
Audits, reports, and fiscal controls; intended use plan
Sec. 606
1387
Authorization of appropriations
Sec. 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.

Author Contact Information

Claudia Copeland

Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy
ccopeland@crs.loc.gov, 7-7227


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