7795

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7795
• Author: Natural Resources Law Center.
• Title: America's Waters
• USFW Year: 1992.
• USFW - Doc Type: A New Era of Sustainability, Report of the Long's Peak Working Group on National Water Policy, Objectives and Initiatives.
• Copyright Material: NO

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(b) Strengthen pollution pmenlion measures in
industrial, agriculturaL and municipal SedOIS.

(c) Subject discharges from large dams creating water
quality problems to NPDES pennit requirements.

(d) Strengthen prettealment programs to ensure that,
where appropriate (e.g. for taxies). industrial
discharges 10 municipal trealment systems are
subject 10 the same requirementS as other point
source discharges.

(e) Keep clean water clean by procecting and reslOring
imtream flows and other aquatic ecosystems,
encouraging inregnred watershed planning and
management. promoting water conservation. and
protecting pristine waters. To help achieve that
goal, develop a clear statutory anli-degradation
policy.

(I) Require the EPA to develop quantitative standards
presently lacking for such parameters as nutrients,
sediments. and salinity. Make compliance widl
water quality standards for entities not covered by
WIler quality permits or other mandatory programs
subject 10 the citizen suit provision. and provide
for public involvement in the EP A's review of
state water quality plans.

(g) Establish a Oean Water Fund widl an annual
authorization of $S billion which would be avail-
able to states on a cost-sharing basis to use on
programs of their choosing designed to bring
noncomplying waters Duo cmlpliance with water
quality standanls. This funding would be tied to a
n:quiremeDl to develop in1egraled resource plans.
States would have the flexibility to meet a broad
range of infrastructure needs. including combined
sewer overflow improvemenrs. and to pursue
water efficiency, aquatic system restoration. and
other measures to control poim and nonpoint
source pollution. Failure to main milestones in a
plan could result in cutoff of funding and manda-
tory controls.

(h) Establish a national discharge fee program to pay
all the costs of monitoring and enforcement

(i) Establish a pollution prevention program that
would make available an extra 10% investment tax
credit to industries mal can demonstrate invest-
ments in technologies that avoid discharges of
toxic or other polluWlts.

(j) Encourage the EP A under Semon 303(d) of the
Clean Water Act to provide technical and financial
suppon to establish demonsttation nutrient poDol-
ant trading programs on a watershed basis in
conjunction with state and loc:a1 governments. The

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EP A should seek III IUIborizaIion of $.50 million
annually for these pIOJJIIDI. willi the goal of
demonstrating cost effectiveness Ind the efficacy
of their monitoring and rmora:mau.

(k) Establish inregratcd resowce planning procedures
for applicants for financial assistance.

(I) Establish basic water conservation requirements
for Oem Waler Act permits CO help extend water
supply or wasteWala' treaIIDeDl capacity.

(m) ProteCt the food chain from toxic mnr2lllination
by sunsetting the most dangerous IDxicchcmicaIs
and by prohibiting the use of emotion as a substi-
tute for toxic pollution abaIemau.

(n) Strengthen Section 404 to provide greater proteC-
tion for wetlands.

(0) End the agricultural exemption from the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit program in noncompliance areas.

(p) Provide financial and rechnical incentives to staleS
to develop and implement cmnprehensive groWld-
water protection pI'Ogr3DlS (mcluding the
protection of all freshWater groundwater as a
drinking water source) witb the EPA assuming
jurisdiction when the stale fails to implement an
adequate program.

Equity and Panicipation in Deci.sionmakin,

(4S) The Administration should tstablish broad-based,
local citizen advisory committees organized around
federal water projects to advise federal project opera-
tors. The advisory committees should be provided
with complete and useful information on all aspectS of
the projects' operations.

(46) The President should appoim an interagency task
force, and suppon legislation to suppon locally-based
urban and rural stream restoration programs in order to
achieve the community, economic, recreational,
environmental, and aesthetic benefits that these
projects can provide.

(47) The President should convene summit meetings
among interests in the Colorado River basin and the
. Missouri River basin. including stale governments.
Indian tribes. and citizen groups, to explore formation
of basin organizations for including all affected
interests in decisions required to meet the many
diverse economic. environmental, and social demands
on the rivers' limited resources.