Researchers say it's time to clean up the US Clean Water Act

Date:
December 7, 2021
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
While the Clean Water Act successfully regulated many obvious
causes of pollution, such as the dumping of wastewater, it's done
less to limit more diffuse types of pollution, such as 'nonpoint
source pollution' that includes agricultural runoff from fields
and urban stormwater from buildings, paved surfaces and yards --
says a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In 1969, the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland was so polluted that it
caught fire, helping to launch the modern environmental movement and
prompting Congress to pass the Clean Water Act three years later. It
was one of the first laws to safeguard waterways and set national water
quality standards.


========================================================================== While the Clean Water Act successfully regulated many obvious causes of pollution, such as the dumping of wastewater, it's done less to limit
more diffuse types of pollution, such as "nonpoint source pollution"
that includes agricultural runoff from fields and urban stormwater from buildings, paved surfaces and yards -- says a new study from University
of Missouri researchers.

Though hard to see, nonpoint source pollution has become one of the
main environmental threats to drinking water across the country, said
MU researchers who are offering strategies to address the problem.

"Large amounts of nitrates and nitrites, such as those found
in fertilizer, can cause negative health effects such as blue baby
syndrome," said Robin Rotman, assistant professor in the MU School of
Natural Resources, who led the study.

Rotman also holds courtesy appointments in the MU School of Law and the
MU College of Engineering. "Nonpoint source pollution can lead to toxic
algae blooms; pesticides and herbicides also contain carcinogens that
can threaten human health," she said.

To mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, researchers studied the existing legislation and regulation and identified critical
gaps.

As a result of their findings, they are urging expanded or new policies
to limit nonpoint source pollution. Without quick action, they said
many municipalities will need to invest in sophisticated drinking water treatment systems to remove contaminants. Those systems can come with
price tags in the millions of dollars, and the cost would likely be
passed on to ratepayers in the form of higher drinking water bills.

Researchers propose three ways to tackle nonpoint source pollution:
* Amend the Clean Water Act to require states to control nonpoint
source
pollution, and offer federal funding for state and local initiatives
to address it, including engineered solutions (such as filtration
systems) and environmental solutions (such as planting vegetation
next to bodies of water).

* Extend the Safe Drinking Water Act (which established contaminant
limits
for public water systems) to protect more rural water sources from
nonpoint source pollution.

* Encourage citizens to understand nonpoint source pollution and
better
care for their local water sources.

Kathleen Trauth, associate professor in the College of Engineering and a
co- author of the study, said it is important to control pollution even
before it reaches public water treatment facilities. She said one way to accomplish this would be to apply standards from the Safe Drinking Water
Act, which places maximum contaminant levels for 87 potentially dangerous substances, to rivers, lakes and other bodies of water regulated by the
Clean Water Act. Trauth said regulators also need the authority to place
limits on nonpoint source pollution.

"As the sources are many and they involve so many contributors, it can
be hard to say how we should work on these problems," said Trauth. "But
the difficulty cannot deter us from addressing them. To reorient our
thinking, let's focus on where we want to go. Because if we really want
to ensure clean water, we need to think about nonpoint source pollution."
There have been attempts to litigate the Clean Water Act into addressing nonpoint source pollution, but researchers said their proposals offer
direct ways of facing the issue and ensuring the nation's drinking water
is safe for years to come.

"Since the Clean Water Act was written, there was always a recognition
that nonpoint pollution is a problem," said Rotman. "This issue is
particularly important in the Great Plains states where agriculture is
a leading industry.

We want to see that industry continue to thrive, and at the
same time ensure that people have access to safe drinking water." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Robin M. Rotman, Ashley A. Hollis, and Kathleen
M. Trauth. Realigning the
Clean Water Act: Comprehensive Treatment of Nonpoint Source
Pollution.

Ecology Law Quarterly, 2021 DOI: 10.15779/Z38X34MS6D ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211207152530.htm

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