Local HEROES Clean Water

Your WatershedRussian RiverWatershed AssociationIsn’t Clean Water Worth It?28 - www.westcountygazette.com - 1/15/09You don’t have to travel far in thispart of Northern California to see whatprotecting our water quality means: asparkling coastline, rivers we dependon for drinking water, irrigation andrecreation. Local governments’ businessis to work for the public interest. Aslong as clean water is vitally connectedto our economy, public health, theenvironment and our quality of life, thencities, counties, and utility districts mustto do what they can to keep the waterclean. Yet there is another reason thatlocal governments strive for clean water:It’s the law.The Clean Water Act is the primaryfederal law that governs water quality.Prior to its passage in 1972, waterpollution across the country waswidespread. Raw sewage was commonlypiped directly to lakes, rivers and bays.Pressed by an alarmed public, Congresspassed the Federal Water PollutionControl Act of 1972 (a.k.a the CleanWater Act) and set out to achieve twonational goals: eliminate the dischargeof untreated wastewater from municipaland industrial sources into the nation’swaterways, and improve water qualityto protect fishing and swimming.To jumpstart the effort, the federalgovernment provided billions ofdollars for construction of wastewatertreatment plants across the nation. Italso established the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) to developwater quality standards and enforce thereduction of pollutants into waterwaysby industries and municipalities.Over the past 30 years, a myriadof regulating agencies at all levelshave worked to implement the CleanWater Act as well as each state’s ownclean water laws. The CaliforniaEnvironmental Protection Agency(Cal-EPA) develops and enforces thestate’s environmental protection laws,including those linked to clean water.The State Water Resources ControlBoard (SWRCB) regulates wastewaterdischarges to both surface water (rivers,ocean, etc.) and to groundwater (vialand). Along with the SWRCB, each ofthe nine Regional Water Boards alsoregulate storm water discharges fromconstruction, industrial, and municipalactivities; discharges from irrigatedagriculture; dredge and fill activities;and other activities that could degradewater quality.At the receiving end of the regulationsare local governments that must complywith the law to meet clean water goals.The regulators develop standardsand provide guidance on such thingsas how clean drinking water is; howpure recycled water must be for useon crops, parks and landscaping; orhow much water to release from damsduring fish spawning season. Thisregulation greatly affects the way thatmunicipalities operate their water,wastewater and storm drain systems.As water quality standards become morerigorous, local governments and utilitiesare compelled to look at increasedpublic outreach and education, morelegal authority, comprehensive landuse controls, newer technologies andupdated infrastructure. And this allcosts money.Who pays for all these water qualityefforts?While the majority of clean waterregulations come from the federaland State government, most fundingfor drinking water and wastewatertreatment comes from local ratepayersand taxpayers. The constant challengefor local governments and utilities isthat they are under pressure to keeprates as low as possible, but need tocollect enough revenue to operate andmaintain the systems to ever-stringentwater quality standards. Additionally,since the pumps, pipes and plants thatmake up our water and wastewatersystems are aging, financial reservesmust be built to eventually replace vitalinfrastructure. Complying with the lawand providing clean water aren’t free.R e g u l a t i n g a g e n c i e s , l o c a lgovernments and utilities, and ratepayersoften seem at constant tension. For theregulators who must enforce the law,more work remains to be done: 40%of the nation’s waterways still havean unacceptable level of pollutants.For local governments and utilities,meeting increasingly strict water qualitystandards strains already-lean resources.For ratepayers, paying even more forwater and sewer is hard to do in thesetough financial times.Ultimately, we all want the samething – clean water. The environmentalprogress achieved since the 1970’s isdue to the guidance and enforcementof regulatory agencies, the demands ofcitizen and watchdog groups, and theconstant efforts of local governmentsand utility districts to protect the publicinterest and comply with the CleanWater Act. Isn’t clean water worth it?Written by Eydie Tacata, a Management Analyst withthe City of Rohnert Park on behalf of RRWA. (www.rrwatershed.org) an association of public agencies inthe Russian River Watershed that have come together tocoordinate regional programs for clean water, fisheriesrestoration, and watershed enhancement.