II.

Provisions

The Clean Water Act (CWA) sets the basic organization for regulating water pollution nationwide, including the discharge of pollutants from large industrial plants and sewage treatment facilities. Under the act, the release of all such pollutants, called point-source discharge, requires a federal permit, and the pollutants released must meet federally mandated sewage treatment standards. The CWA also establishes guidelines for reducing nonpoint pollution, the runoff of toxic matter such as fertilizer, animal waste, motor oil, and pesticides from farms, streets, and lawns into bodies of water.

The Clean Water Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsibility for establishing and maintaining water quality standards, and the states are responsible for enforcing them. The CWA authorizes the federal government to fund sewage treatment facilities and programs to reduce water pollution, which the individual states develop and maintain. The act encourages citizens and government to sue any person or organization that violates CWA provisions.