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6'9cO ~.... DRAFT ~ ENVIRO~~IENTAL CONDITIONS 1. Introduction a. Recognition of Water Related Environmental Problems The recent emergence of environmental awareness and concern has sprung from a negative reaction to the degradation we have inflicted upon our surroundings. Much of it has sprung from the deterioration of our surroundings--air pollution, water pollution, debris of our industrial society, urban sprawl, loss of our natural fauna, ecological disruption, and many other distressing aspects of contemporary society. Equally imp or- tant in this concern over environmental problems is the prediction of what may happen in the future as population pressures increase and the related impact of our expanding technological society is intensified. ~ Environment as an issue is in the process of ~at~ring. The scattered concerns of a few years ago are now blending into a broader understanding of the relationships of the environment to man's total well-being and to the quality of life. With this understanding has also emerged a greater appreciation of just how 'complex and multifaceted the problems are. EnvirQnmental values are becoming a permanent part of our society and governmental institutions. They have found a permanent place in our legal principles and are beginning to become an accepted part of our economic life. Although still in the process of maturing, the environmental issue, like all vital and lasting issues, will undergo many transformations in its definition and in the way its problems are approached. The present concern is not a passing fad. The pursuit of environmental quality has ~ become a firm national commitment and through fundamental changes in insti- tutions, laws, and values, we have embarked on a new course which will make for a better future.