Today's question: What is the Clean Water Act?

Plain Talk answer: Officially known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Clean Water Act (CWA) was established by the US government to control the treatment of wastewater and its subsequent release into the environment. Under the CWA, any facility that intends to discharge waste materials into the nation’s waters must obtain a permit before initiating a discharge. The intent of the CWA is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters by preventing pollution through the setting of standards for the treatment of discharges and providing assistance and guidance to wastewater treatment facilities and other industries that discharge to the waterways.

In Canada, the Fisheries Act protects water bodies from pollution and each province and territory develops its own legislative framework for regulating water.

For more information on this and many other water-related topics, check out Plain Talk About Drinking Water by Dr. James M. Symons.