From the Woods: Happy Anniversary to the Clean Water Act, signed October 18, 1972. The Clean Water Act was created in response to increased public concern for the environment and for the condition of the nation’s waters.
Before the CWA, rivers and streams were choked with pollution and were toxic to fish and not fit for recreation. One of the most famous triggers was the repeated fire and pollution of the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie. Industry and people thought of our rivers and streams as trash pits, or “Dilution is the solution to pollution” For a visual story, read https://www.history.com/news/epa-earth-day-cleveland-cuyahoga-river-fire-clean-water-act.
The Sierra Club is concerned that parts of the Clean Water Act are threatened. To learn more, read this notice from The Sierra Club.