The Clean Water Act

Environmental laws are usually enacted as a response to policies that have been informed by economic research. Before a decision is made regarding the future of businesses, it is always advisable that particular attention be had to the environmental impact of the organization’s activities. For instance, if an industrial complex is to exist while abiding by the law, then it must respect environmental laws in place to protect the environment. Failure to do would attract fines and reprisals.
Businesses pollute the environment, and as such must be regulated lest they destroy the environment (Askew, 2013). To this regard, it is important to enact environmental laws to articulate guidelines and penalties for breach.
The Clean Water Act is an Act of Congress enacted to protect the national waters of the United States. It is supposed to ensure that all national water bodies are safe from pollution and abuse (Fig. 1).  Its official name is the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.  The Act establishes a National Pollutant Discharge System, through which water bodies are monitored for pollution by a federal authority. The governing body establishes quality control systems for waste management and water conservation.
The Act requires that all emissions into national water bodies undergo a pretreatment system before being discharged into the water systems. The Clean Water Act has been praised by many for helping protect the water bodies of America from pollution (Andreen, 2013). Conversely, it has also been criticized for establishing a convoluted and unchecked regulatory framework that inconveniences businesses (Fig. 2). It has been criticized for overemphasizing control over prevention. It has been cited as having inadequate mechanisms in place to help in the prevention of pollution. In all, it has provided the nation with a framework for dealing with water pollution and environmental conservation that would be lacking if it were absent (Fig 3).
References
Andreen, W. L. (2013). Success and Backlash: The Remarkable (Continuing) Story of the Clean Water Act. George Washington Journal of Energy & Environmental Law, 4, 25-37.
Askew, E. (2013). Quality Control for Federal Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act Regulatory Compliance. Journal of AOAC International, 96(1), 171-177.



















Appendix

Figure 1: The Role of the Clean Water Act.

Figure 2: Clean Water Act Violations

Figure 3: Economic Impact of Clean Water Act.