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<br />Oi~ '" · <br />u 1.... .1.... <br /> <br />February 14, 1998 <br /> <br />The Honorable Albert Gore, Jr. <br />Vice President of the United States <br />The White House <br />Washington, D.C. 20500 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Vice President: <br /> <br />On October 18,1997, the 25th anniversary of the 1972 Clean Water Act, you directed us to work with other <br />federal agencies and the public to develop a Clean Water Action Plan that charts a course toward fulfilling the <br />original goal of the Clean Water Act -"fishabie and swimmable"waters for all Americans. We are pleased to <br />submit the enclosed Clean Water Action Plan on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental <br />Protection Agency, and the other federal agencies that assisted us in its development. <br /> <br />Over the past 25 years, America has made outstanding progress in reducing water pollution and restoring our <br />rivers, lakes and coastal waters. In communities across the country, restoration of water quality has had dramatic <br />environmental, recreational, and economic benefits. Despite this progress, serious water pollution problems <br />persist. States report that about 40 percent of the waters they assessed do not meet water quality goals. About <br />half of the nation's over 2,000 major watersheds have serious or moderate water quality problems. <br /> <br />This Clean Water Action Pian provides a blueprint for restoring and protecting the nation's precious water <br />resources. The Action Plan builds on the Clinton Administration's accomplishments over the past five years and <br />proposes aggressive new actions to strengthen the program. <br /> <br />A key element in the Action Plan is a new cooperative approach to watershed protection in which state, tribal, <br />federal, and local governments, and the public first identify the watersheds with the most critical water quality <br />problems and then work together to focus resources and implement effective strategies to solve those problems. <br />The Action Plan also includes new initiatives to reduce public health threats, improve the stewardship of natural <br />resources, strengthen polluted runoff controls, and make water quality information more accessible to the public. <br /> <br />We look forward to working with you to ensure that the nation continues to make steady progress in restoring <br />and protecting the health of water resources in ways that make sense for the communities that depend upon them. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br />~~ <br /> <br />6-~ <br /> <br /> <br />Carol Browner <br />Administrator <br />U.s. Environmental Protection Agency <br /> <br />Dan Glickman <br />Secretary <br />U.s. Department of Agriculture <br />