After passage of the original Clean Water Act in 1972, federal dollars flowed into the wastewater treatment sector.
With the goal of ensuring fishable, swimmable waters throughout the nation, grants became available for construction and upgrading of treatment facilities, the training of plant operators and a great deal more.
Those investments brought substantial progress, but in time, the federal investment in clean-water facilities faded so that at present it accounts for just a small fraction of the cost of water-quality protection. Meanwhile, massive investments are needed for municipal clean-water utilities to meet federally mandated water-quality goals.
The National Association of Clean
