Enacted by the 92nd U.S. Congress on 17 October 1972 by override of President Richard Nixon's veto, the Clean Water Act aims to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation's waters. It created the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, making it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters without a permit, enforced by the EPA alongside state water-quality standard-setting. It was later amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977, the Water Quality Act of 1987 and further legislation through 2018.
Facts
Promulgated ByUnited States Congress, 92nd Congress, passed by veto override of President Richard Nixon 3 Jurisdiction ScopeUnited States federal, waters of the United States 2 Regulatory DomainEnvironmental protection and water pollution 2 Classification
Legal Status Jurisdiction Scope
Jurisdiction Scope (category) Era
Era (category)20th Century (1900-1999) 2 Connections
Associated With
Both landmark US pollution-control statutes administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and implemented through Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking; frequently paired in comparative environmental regulation.
Both are core United States federal environmental statutes.
Established By
EPA regulations implementing the Clean Water Act are promulgated via APA notice-and-comment rulemaking, the same pattern already recorded for Clean Air Act Regulations established-by APA
In Legal System
United States federal statute, within the common law tradition.
Source Major Legal Systems in the World TodayRene David and John E.C. Brierley
Sources
1. Clean Water Act (Wikipedia)
Lead section
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution.
In Group: United States Environmental Statutes and Rules, Introduction, sentence 1
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution.
View the Source2. Summary of the Clean Water Act (U.S. EPA)
United States Environmental Protection Agency
3. Clean Water Act (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution.
Major Legal Systems in the World Today
Rene David and John E.C. Brierley, Stevens and Sons, 1985In Legal System: Law of the United States
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.