The Clean Water Act turned 40 on October 18, 2012. What a remarkable record of accomplishment, both for this law and for our organization!
I remember back in the 1960s when Lake Erie was declared dead, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire, and many of our rivers were so full of toxic chemicals that they’d eat the paint right off boats. I remember being told not to eat the fish from Lake Ontario or to swim at the beach near my neighborhood. Today, the Clean Water Act and the work of Clean Water Fund have fixed many of those problems.
The Great Lakes are much healthier and cleaner. Rivers in Philadelphia, Providence, San Antonio, Washington DC and many other communities are now tourist attractions. Fishing, boating and water-based recreation are huge job-creators and sources of income for communities. We’ve made incredible progress cleaning up our rivers, lakes and streams, and our communities are healthier and more vibrant for it.
Clean Water Fund has played an important role in that transformation, helping implement, enforce and protect the Clean Water Act. We’ve stopped illegal pollution by dischargers in dozens of states, protecting local waterways and our drinking water. We’ve helped states and local governments find new ways to reduce pollution from runoff by managing rainwater wisely. We’ve promoted upstream solutions to stop pollution at the source, keeping toxic chemicals out of our water in the first place.
As you read about Clean Water Fund’s most recent activities and accomplishments in this report, please know that your support is helping bring the way we use and manage our water into the 21st Century:
- Preventing pollution and using our water more wisely,
- Putting drinking water first, and
- Looking at all of our activities in terms of their impact on our water.
You are the reason for our success… and with your continued support, we’ll make even greater progress in the next 40 years, too.
