4 - Expansion and Contraction in the Federal Role in Water Quality Policy

Summary

The amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 1972 represent a significant change in the balance between federal authority and states' rights in water quality policy. The 1972 legislation significantly increased the federal role in clean water, and substantially increased the federal budgetary commitment to water quality. Combined with a new regulatory framework, this legislation set the stage for the development of the Water Quality Act of 1987. The Water Quality Act signifies a substantive redefinition of the federal role in water quality policy. Through the development of a block grant program, the WQA shifted primary responsibility for the distribution of resources for clean water infrastructure to the states, while stating preferences for states to serve certain types of communities. This chapter details the development of the 1987 legislation, the forces that drove the changes in policy instruments, and discusses the modest changes to the program since its initial passage in 1987.