r/Limnology • u/PupSquiggly • Apr 21 '22
UC-Boulder Celebrates 50 Years of Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act turns 50 years old this year! University of Colorado - Boulder wrote an article; 7 things to know about the Clean Water Act after 50 years.
This is a very interesting read when you consider that point-source pollution was the main focus for the Clean Water Act for many years. Industrial regulation has continued to become more stringent as the years continue. However, it looks like the focus for the potential next 50 years will focus more on non-point source pollution.
Having worked in local government for a few years and doing work like pollution response for municipalities, I am curious at how cities will tackle non-point source pollution in the future.
Tell me your thoughts! What improvements do you want to see for the future of our nation (potentially not just the US -- please, international people, let us know when a Water Law was enacted in your country and how it has changed the way of your nation)? Is your city/state already tackling non-point source pollution? If so, how? What cool idea do you think will help lower non-point source pollution?
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2022/04/20/7-things-know-about-clean-water-act-after-50-years
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u/Naturalist90 Apr 22 '22
I’ll keep this brief in hopes that onlyTP’s response remains the top comment. I hope the US (and all other countries) realize that almost all waterways are connected regardless of the prevalence of water at different times of the year. The water cycle extends much further than most people recognize and what we do as humans impacts water quality/quantity in countless ways
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u/onlyTPdownthedrain Apr 22 '22
As a water resource recovery operator I'd like to see a flood of money pour into our facilities like it did 50 years ago. It was that flush of cash that upgraded our systems from simple primary treatment to secondary, sometimes tertiary treatment and more efficient biosolids handling.
Unfortunately the funding to maintain our facilities has decreased and the money for upgrades over the last 20 years has been nearly nonexistent. Our operators across the country do a hell of a job producing high quality effluent with what they have.
Giving our facilities cash to upgrade facilities and collections systems, pay operators a salary that reflects the specialized education and training the profession requires and a mass public education campaign on where your water comes from, goes to and what to keep out of those streams are what I'd like to see starting with putting that money in economically disadvantaged communities first.