Chapter 8. Water Quality and the Clean Water Act

In this chapter, we explore the water-quality dimension of the human relationship with rivers by focusing on the use of rivers for waste disposal—and the way that this use undermines the ecological and human value that healthy rivers can provide. We address questions such as these:

  • Which pollutants affect the health of aquatic ecosystems and the people who use them?
  • How does the Clean Water Act work to protect and restore the ecological and human uses of streams, lakes, and wetlands? How successful has it been in doing so?
  • What other laws are relevant to protecting aquatic ecosystems?

To the right you can download resources from the book and access new resources relevant to this chapter.

The muddy waters of the Genesee River in flood enter the clear waters of Lake Ontario near Rochester, NY.

The muddy waters of the Genesee River in flood enter the clear waters of Lake Ontario near Rochester, NY. Photo S. Anisfeld.

Chapter 8 Resources

Table of Contents

Highlights

Table 1: Water-quality parameters (divided into three parts)

Figure 1: Structure of the Clean Water Act

Figure 2: These chemicals are more toxic than we thought

Figure 3: Our rivers are getting cleaner

Figure B1: Steps in sewage treatment

Supplemental Resources

For background on the water-quality parameters shown in Table 8-1, please visit the Introduction to Water Quality section of the Water Science Primer.

For more on how wastewater treatment fits into the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), see Indicator 6.3.1.

For more on how water quality is assessed in the SDG framework, see Indicator 6.3.2.

Chapters in Part 2